<b>A Case of Refractory Pleural Effusion after Mitral Valve Replacement Successfully Treated by Adding Goreisan </b> / 日本東洋医学雑誌

We report a case of refractory pleural effusion after mitral valve replacement (MVR) successfully treated by adding goreisan. A 60-year-old man had right pleural effusion with exertional dyspnea in spite of taking two diuretics (furosemide 60 mg and spironolactone 25 mg a day) for 2 years after MVR. He underwent drainage twice and spironolactone was increased to 50 mg, but his pleural effusion volume still increased. Then in addition, he received goreisan 7.5 g a day, and the pleural effusion was decreased and stabilized. This suggests that goreisan is a candidate drug for additional treatment, when pleural effusion is uncontrolled because of heart failure, despite taking diuretics.