Clinical Management Issues (Mar 2008)

A case of inflammatory ascites

  • Marco Biolato,
  • Maria Letizia Gabrieli,
  • Antonella Gallo,
  • Luca Miele,
  • Laura Riccardi,
  • Massimo Montalto,
  • Giovanni Gasbarrini,
  • Antonio Grieco

DOI
https://doi.org/10.7175/cmi.v2i1.582
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 1
pp. 25 – 36

Abstract

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Even ascites appears mainly as sign of portal hypertension in patiens with liver cirrhosis, in some case depends on a different lying condition such as right congestive heart failure, peritoneal carcinomatosis or tuberculosis. In these cases, paracentesis represents the key tool for diagnosis. We report a case of cardiac ascites in a 71-years-old woman who developed in four-month an abdominal distension. Preliminary exams showed exudative ascites related to portal hypertension, a pelvic mass with caseous apparence, and inflammatory status ad an elevation of CA-125. Successive evaluation exluded peritoneal carcinomatosis or tuberculosis, underlyng a tricuspidal regurgitation. The literature on ascites has also been reviewed.

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