BACKGROUND Many patients with pneumonia develop pleural effusions. Pleural fluid vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels are known to be elevated in complicated parapneumonic effusion and seem to play a major role in the fibrotic process in the pleura. OBJECTIVES To test whether VEGF levels in pleural effusions of infectious origin correlate with the residual pleural thickening. ME...

Objective: To find out the causes of lymphocytic exudative pleural effusion as revealed by percutaneous pleural biopsy, in Peshawar. Type of Study: It was a retrospective study. Place & Duration: The study was conducted on patients admitted in the Pulmonology Department, Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar and Medical A unit, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar during January to December 2003. Methods...

BACKGROUND Bacterial parapneumonic pleural effusions (PPEs) have high morbidity. The accurate identification of pathogens is vital for initiating the appropriate treatment. A previous study suggested that the use of blood culture bottles might improve the bacterial yield in PPEs. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the culture positivity rate by the blood culture bottles and the s...

BACKGROUND Eosinophilic pleural effusion (EPE) is defined by an eosinophil count of ≥10% in the pleural fluid and often caused by air or blood in the pleural space. The diagnostic significance of EPEs is still a matter of debate. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to systematically review the medical literature to evaluate the diagnostic significance of EPEs. METHODS Electronic datab...

We describe a case of exudative pleural effusion in a patient with mucinous pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Pleural fluid examination showed markedly raised amylase with normal serum amylase concentration. There was no clinical or radiological evidence of oesophageal rupture or pancreatitis. The case illustrates the importance of considering pulmonary malignancy in the context of amylase-rich pleural...

The pH, PCW and bicarbonate levels were measured in 178 pleural effusions grouped according to preset criteria into various diagnostic categories. The pH and Pcoz were found to vary widely, the ranges being 6.80 to 7.60 and 26 to 126 mm Hg, respectively. The effusions associated with pneumonia (parapneumonk effusions) showed the most widely varying values of pH. Apparently the pleural fluid pH ...

In a retrospective study of 100 patients with pleural effusion the final diagnosis was tuberculosis in 49, malignancy in 43, malignancy with tuberculosis, bacterial infection, hydrothorax with cirrhosis, reaction to pneumothorax in one each, and unknown in 4. Most of the effusions analysed were exudates (94%). Pleural biopsy was diagnostic in 46% of tuberculous effusions (13/28) and 67% of mali...

Aim: To evaluate pleural fluid Adenosine deaminase as the diagnostic marker for tubercular pleural disease. Patients and Methods:New patients (n=160) with pleural effusion were divided into tubercular (n=92) and non-tubercular (n=68) groups. Non-tubercular group was further divided into patients having exudative effusion (n=46) and patients having transudative effusion (n=22). Patients with exu...

A 52-year-old male smoker presented with a 1-week history of fever, left-sided pleuritic chest pain, and body aches. Four days later, cough with hemoptysis developed. He visited the local hospital and was suspected to have left-sided parapneumonic pleural effusion. Repeated attempts at needle aspiration yielded a small amount of pleural fluid, which was exudative with a total leukocyte count of...

Streptococcus gordonii (S. gordonii) is a pioneer oral bacteria that is recognized as an agent of bacterial endocarditis. However, an extensive review of the literature revealed no reported case of S. gordonii causing empyema. We present a case of a 65-year-old male who presented with respiratory distress. Physical examination revealed several dental caries with decreased breath sounds in the b...