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Background Hepatic hydrothorax is defined as a significant pleural effusion (usually greater than 500 ml) in a cirrhotic patient, without an underlying pulmonary or cardiac disease. The incidence of hepatic hydrothorax varies from 0.4% to 10% according to different reports, and it occurs much more often in the right thorax than in the left. Several observations indicate that the most likely cause of pleural effusions in patients with cirrhosis is the passage of a large amount of ascites from the peritoneal to the ...