What is Hydrothorax?

Hydrothorax is a health condition in which the pleural cavity, the space between the lungs and the chest is filled with pale, yellow and transparent liquid. This fluid is known as serous fluid and usually serves lung lubrication function so that they can move freely. Excess fluid causes the lungs to compress, leading to painful and difficult breathing, which is called shortness of breath. This also leads to a lack of lung sounds when listening to a stethoscope, which is often the result of a basic disorder. hydro means that water and chest means chest, so hydrottorax simply translates into "water in the chest". Other categories include: Hemothorax, blood in the chest; Chylothorax, lymphatic fluid - cheeme - in the chest; and pyothorax, also called empyema that is pus in the chest. All of these conditions relate to the excess of their specific chest beings, which is usually dangerous and indicates the underlying disease or lung damage.

The main cause of hydrothorax is usually a problem with the liver known as cirrhosis. In liver cirrhosis, liver function decreases by scarring, nodes and fibrosis, which are the result of liver repair after alcoholism damage, hepatitis B and oily liver and other causes. It is not known exactly how the liver cirrhosis leads to hydrottorax, but it is believed that the liver disorder causes imbalances in the body fluids and this excess can show up in the lungs.

Hydrothorax treatment represents several problems. The main problem is that Hydrothorax is usually the result of the final phase of the liver disease. It is often not recommended that the liquid is removed from the lung chest, as it does not stop the flow of excess fluid. The basic cause must be repaired, which usually means liver transplantation. In addition to being risky, it is often difficult to find donors for liver transplantation.

There is another procedure known as Transjugular Intrahepatic PortosystThe short -circuit (tips) that can be done to repair hydrothorax and is safer than transplantation. The procedure of the peaks means creating a passage or short circuit from the two main veins of the liver that bypass scarring and allowing smooth to flow through the blood of the liver. This reduces the total pressure and reduces the accumulation of fluids. Although it reduces the root of the problem, there is a risk that the liver itself will be damaged by the TIPS.