Tuberculous pleural effusion (TBPE) is treatable and curable, and hence it is important to establish the diagnosis and initiate treatment early. However, its diagnosis is not straightforward and depends on the demonstration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the pleural fluid or pleural biopsy specimen, or demonstration of caseating granulomas in the pleura. Due to the paucibacillary nature of th...

We herein present a case of a 71-year-old woman with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SjS), who developed bilateral pleural effusion and ground glass opacity during treatment with low-dose prednisolone. The pleural effusion and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed elevation of lymphocytes. Thoracoscopic pleural biopsy showed infiltration of lymphocytes with no evidence of other diseases, confirming...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Medical thoracoscopy, also called pleuroscopy, has received renewed interest in the recent past for diagnostic as well as therapeutic uses. In this study, we describe our experience with thoracoscopy for undiagnosed pleural effusions. METHODS In a retrospective analysis of thoracoscopic procedures we performed between January 2007 and December 2008, yield of thoracoscopic ...

A 69-year-old man who had been exposed to asbestos for approximately 40 years presented with the complaint of fever and pleuritic chest pain on the right side on deep inspiration. Chest X-ray films showed pleural effusion in the right side. Initial antibiotic treatment was ineffective. The hyaluronic acid level was high in the pleural effusion but no malignant mesotheliomal cells were seen with...

OBJECTIVE The present study is designed to evaluate the role of pleural fluid analysis in diagnosing pleural diseases and to study the advantages and disadvantages of thoracocentasis and pleural biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We prospectively included 66 consecutive indoor patients over a duration of 1 year. Pleural fluid was collected and cytological smears were made from the fluid. Plural bi...

The causes and situation of exudative pleural effusion vary from one area to another. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 327 patients with exudative pleural effusion in South Khorasan province (Iran). The patients were older than 12 years and comprised 172 (52.6%) males and 155 (47.4%) females. The study commenced in 2007 with seven years duration. The Light’s criteria were used to define...

A Pleural mass biopsy was performed showing an invasive thymoma. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest performed on admission revealed a left sided pleural mass, anterior mediastinal mass, lymphadenopathy and pericardial effusion. Pleural mass biopsy showed an invasive thymoma. Due to her clinical presentation, a complete work-up was performed revealing paraneoplastic systemic lupus erythe...

CT chest performed to investigate dyspnea and malaise in an 83 year old man demonstrated bilateral circumferential pleural thickening highly suspicious for pleural mesothelioma or metastatic pleural malignancy. Histopathology of a subsequent pleural biopsy returned a diagnosis of pleural amyloid. This case identifies pleural amyloid as a rare differential consideration for diffuse pleural thick...

Background & objective:Primary pleural neoplasms are rare entities compared with the pleural involvement by metastatic carcinoma. The current study aimed at investigating the complete spectrum of pleural neoplasms and differentiating between them with the aid of immunohistochemistry (IHC). Methods: Consecutive pleu...

BACKGROUND Pleural effusion is the abnormal collection of fluid in the pleural space resulting from excessive fluid production or decreased absorption and it is one of the most common clinical conditions that we come across in pulmonology clinics and in hospitals. The objective of prospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic role of Abrams Needle Biopsy in Exudative Pleural Effusion. METH...