Categories: Cardiology

What side are Congestive heart failure Pleural effusions on?

Pleural effusions in patients with congestive heart failure are typically bilateral. However, a unilateral pleural effusion is more commonly seen on the right side.

WHY??? Although multiple theories attempt to explain the right-sided preponderance of pleural effusions, to date, no mechanism has been universally accepted or experimentally proven.

REFERENCES

  1. Woodring JH. Distribution of pleural effusion in congestive heart failure: what is atypical? South Med J. 2005 May;98(5):518-23.
  2. Natanzon A, Kronzon I. Pericardial and pleural effusions in congestive heart failure-anatomical, pathophysiologic, and clinical considerations. Am J Med Sci. 2009 Sep;338(3):211-6. doi: 10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181a3936f.
  3. Porcel JM. Pleural effusions from congestive heart failure. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 Dec;31(6):689-97. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1269828. Epub 2011 Jan 6.
Get Medical Pearls directly to your inbox every week!
Weekly posts with high yield medical knowledge, directly to your mailbox!
Dr. C Humphreys

Internal Medicine

Recent Posts

Mechanism of a Mixed Apnea

Mixed apneas are characterized by absent respiratory effort and airflow in the first section of…

12 months ago

How Does Hypothyroidism Cause Hypoventilation?

Although rare, the differential diagnosis of hypoventilation and hypercapnia respiratory failure includes hypothyroidism. It is…

12 months ago

Why is Pro-BNP/ BNP lower in Obesity?

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a hormone created in response to cardiac wall stretch due…

1 year ago

What is Peribronchovascular Distribution on CT imaging?

A common finding described on computed tomography (CT) imaging. A disease with a peribronchovascular distribution…

2 years ago

Trapped Lung vs. Lung Entrapment

Though often used synonymously; Trapped Lung and Lung Entrapment technically describe separate entities along the…

3 years ago

Cause of Pericardial Effusion in Pulmonary Hypertension: Pathogenesis

It is not clearly understood why patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) develop pericardial effusions. However,…

3 years ago

This website uses cookies.