One hundred eighty-three patients had simultaneous blood and pleural fluid pH determinations. Thirty-six effusions were transudates, and 147 were exudates. In 46 effusions, the pleural fluid pH was less than 7.30; all 46 were exudates. A pleural fluid pH less than 7.30 was associated with the following six diagnoses: (1) empyema; (2) malignancy; (3) collagen vascular disease; (4) tuberculosis; ...

INTRODUCTION Polycystic liver disease is asymptomatic in 95% of patients. In the remaining 5% it causes symptoms due to the local mass effect of the polycystic liver. We describe the case of a patient who presented with symptoms of a pleural effusion and was also found to have polycystic liver disease. The effusion recurred despite repeated efforts at drainage and only resolved following surgic...

OBJECTIVES Chest ultrasonography is a useful diagnostic tool for the detection of pleural effusions of different etiologies. Our purpose was to determine whether the echogenic swirling pattern identifiable on real-time chest ultrasonographic images is a predictor of malignant pleural effusions in patients with malignancies. DESIGN Medical records of patients undergoing chest ultrasonography i...

BACKGROUND In individual patients, especially those who are hospitalized, several conditions often coexist that may be responsible for the development of a pleural effusion and may affect the pleural fluid analysis (PFA). The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of end-stage renal disease and pneumonia on PFA in patients with hydrostatic pleural effusion. METHODS In a retros...

Accessible online at: www.karger.com/journals/res Involvement of the pleural mesothelium in inflammatory disease processes results in the development of an exudative pleural effusion. When the pleura itself is not inflamed and there is increased intravascular pressure, transudative effusions occur. This important concept is clearly illustrated in the paper by Alexandrakis and Bouros [1] in this...

Background Empyema is a complication of bacterial pneumonia which has a particular importance due to its significant morbidity and mortality in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic factors of empyema in children with parapneumonic pleural effusion. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-section...

When a patient with an undiagnosed pleural effusion is evaluated, the first question to answer is whether the patient has a transudate or an exudate. This is best done using Light's criteria, but these criteria occasionally misidentify a transudate as an exudate. If the patient's pleural fluid meets exudative criteria, but the patient appears clinically to have a transudative effusion, then the...

An eighty-four-year-old man presented with progressive exertional dyspnea, productive cough and weight loss for two months. His physical exam was notable for diminished breath sounds at the right base, with dullness to percussion. Chest-x-ray showed moderate right-sided pleural effusion and bilateral calcified pleural plaques as well as diaphragmatic plaques consistent with asbestos-related ple...

BACKGROUND Fibroblast specific protein-1 (S100A4) is related with many fibrotic diseases, but its role in the pathogenesis of pleural fibrosis has not been fully elucidated. Then we aim to investigate the expression and effect of fibroblast specific protein-1 (S100A4) in pleural tuberculosis and, subsequently, pleural fibrosis. METHODS The expression of S100A4 in pleura was examined in 30 pat...