Pleuroperitoneal Communication and Ovarian Cancer Complicating Peritoneal Dialysis: A Case Report of a Patient with End-Stage Kidney Disease

Pleuroperitoneal communication after bacterial peritonitis and total gastrectomy for gastric neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and brief literature review

Background

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is associated with various complications, some of which may result in its discontinuation. Pleuroperitoneal communication (PPC) is commonly recognized by the presence of a diaphragmatic defect and pressure elevation in the abdominal cavity due to the dialysate. PPC is unpredictable and its presence prevents the continuation of PD. We present the clinical course and pathological findings of PPC in a PD patient after bacterial peritonitis and total gastrectomy for gastric neuroendocrine tumors. We provide a brief review of PD-related complications that develop due to a non-infectious pathology, including those related to catheter use and an elevated intra-abdominal pressure.

Case presentation

A 65-year-old Japanese man, who had been receiving PD treatment for 1 year, visited our hospital owing to a cloudy dialysate. Bacteria were detected in the dialysate. He had been previously diagnosed with gastric neuroendocrine tumors and gastrectomy had been planned. On admission, we started a 14-day antibiotic treatment for PD-related peritonitis. The patient showed a good clinical course. Gastrectomy was performed as planned, and the postoperative course was uneventful. During the perioperative period, PD was temporally changed to hemodialysis. Five weeks after the gastrectomy, PD treatment was resumed with gradual increase in the exchange volume. After returning to PD overnight, using an automated peritoneal dialysis machine, the patient complained of breathing difficulty and he gained weight. Right-sided pleural effusion was observed on a chest radiograph, and PPC was confirmed by scintigraphy when a mixture of technetium-99m and dialysate was seen entering the right hemithorax within 120 min. The patient did not consent to surgery for the PPC and he hoped to continue to receive PD treatment conservatively. We advised the patient to undergo dialysate exchange in a semi-seated position, and he was prohibited from lying down during the daytime. He continued PD treatment without signs of pleural effusion and over-volume.

Conclusions

This case of PPC occurring after bacterial peritonitis and total gastrectomy for gastric neuroendocrine tumors in a PD patient demonstrates the necessity of recognizing the PPC pathology in PD management and establishing methods for preventing PPC development after bacterial peritonitis or surgical procedures.

Peritoneal Dialysis and Malignancy: An Experience With a Patient Complicated by Gastric Carcinoma

An 86-year-old man who had been treated with peritoneal dialysis for 14°months due to end-stage kidney disease secondary to hypertensive nephrosclerosis presented with a recent history of malaise, abdominal discomfort, and anorexia. An endoscopic evaluation revealed an elevated, ulcerated, and friable lesion around the lesser curvature of the stomach. The concurrent gastric biopsy specimens revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, while a cytological examination of the dialysis fluid revealed clusters of malignant cells. This is the first report illustrating a case of a Borrmann type 3 gastric cancer with synchronous peritoneal involvement in which the assessment of the disease state was aided by the cytological analysis of peritoneal effluent. Several concerns relating to this pathology are also discussed.