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Case Reports
. 2025 Jun 23;17(6):e86595.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.86595. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Successful Assessment and Management of Chemothorax: A Case Report and Literature Review

Hassan Edward Bakali  1 , Batuhan Riza Ecer  1 , Rza Mammadov  1 , Tevfik Ilker Akcam  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Successful Assessment and Management of Chemothorax: A Case Report and Literature Review

Hassan Edward Bakali et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Chemothorax is a rare complication associated with central venous catheters, caused by the inadvertent infusion of chemotherapy into the pleural space due to catheter malposition. Malignant pleural effusion is a common suspect in oncologic patients; however, alternative causes, such as chemothorax, should also be considered. Few cases have been reported, emphasizing the need for careful catheter placement and early recognition of complications to prevent adverse outcomes. The risk of this complication underlines the need for meticulous catheter placement, routine radiologic verification, and prompt management to prevent serious outcomes in affected patients.

Keywords: catheter malposition; central venous catheter complications; chemotherapy; chemothorax; chest drainage; pleural effusion; venous port catheter.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Informed consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Preliminary chest radiographs of the patient. The port catheter is indicated by the red arrow, and the pigtail catheter is indicated by the green arrow.
A: Control X-ray after port placement; B: Initial evaluation in the emergency room, showing right-sided pleural effusion; C: Control X-ray after pigtail catheter placement
Figure 2
Figure 2. Patient's Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT)
Malpositioned port catheter, indicated by red arrows, displayed on multiple planes in chest CECT. A: axial, B: coronal, C: sagittal
Figure 3
Figure 3. Patient's follow-up chest X-rays
A: Control chest X-ray after removal of the port catheter. The pigtail catheter is highlighted by the green arrow. B: Control chest X-ray upon discharge after removal of the pigtail drainage catheter
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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