[Chronic pleural effusion from the pancreas].

Chronic, pleural effusion, characterized by a very high pancreatic enzymes activity is a rare complication of the pancreatic diseases. It is pathognomonic for the pancreaticopleural fistula, arising most frequently in the patients with chronic, alcoholic pancreatitis. Clinical manifestations of the chronic pleural effusion lead the physician's attention to the pulmonary diseases, what often is the cause of misdiagnosis. The diagnostics of this pancreatic diseases complication bases on the effusion's pancreatic enzymes activity evaluation and visual methods such as computed tomography, ultrasonography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Management can be started conservatively, but if the result is not adequate, surgical treatment is needed. As the cases of pancreatic, chronic pleural effusion may be commoner than it is reported, author postulates a routine evaluation of the pleural effusion alpha-amylase activity in each case of the unclear pleural effusion.