The diagnosis of asbestos-related pulmonary disease is frequently based in part on the identification of pleural plaques; however, postmortem observations have suggested that pleural plaques may occur without associated pulmonary disease. To examine this issue, we compared the pulmonary parenchymal pathology in 93 patients with pleural plaques to 93 control patients matched for age, race, and s...

background: early pleural tuberculosis (tb) diagnosis is particularly difficult. the aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the xpert mtb/rif (xpert) (cepheid, sunnyvale, ca) assay using pleural biopsy and pleural fluid specimens in patients with suspected pleural tb but who had a negative sputum acid-fast bacilli (afb) smear. materials and methods: in this study, 134 s...

Pleural involvement with systemic amyloidosis has been reported rarely in the literature. Diagnosis of this entity by percutaneous needle biopsy of the pleura has been described only in two prior case reports. We describe five patients in whom the diagnosis of pleural amyloidosis was established by Cope needle biopsy during evaluation of pleural effusions of indeterminate cause. Three patients ...

Pleural disease is a common complication of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). The incidence and recurrence rates of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in LAM are the highest among chronic pulmonary disorders. Most patients have at least one pneumothorax before LAM is diagnosed, and pneumothorax is often the sentinel event that leads to the diagnosis. Although early, definitive treatment for recur...

Background: Chylothorax results from leakage of lymph in the pleural cavity because of thoracic duct injury which is associated with severe metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of chylothorax and its causes among hospitalized patients in Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Babol city, North of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all patients with chylothorax ...

The case of a 31-year-old black male is presented with recurrent pleural effusion secondary to active SLE. Treatment with corticosteroids, azathioprine, plaquenil, and tetracycline pleural sclerosis was unsuccessful. Disease control was finally achieved by pleural talc poudrage.

BACKGROUND Infectious diseases of the airways are a major health care problem world wide. New treatment strategies focus on employing the body's immune system to enhance its protective capacities during airway disease. One source for immune-competent cells is the pleural space, however, its immune-physiological function remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to develop an experime...

BACKGROUND Image-guided pleural biopsies, both using ultrasound (US) or computed tomography (CT), are important in the diagnosis of pleural disease. However, no consensus exists regarding which biopsy needles are appropriate for specific procedures. OBJECTIVES In this randomized, prospective study, we aimed to compare CT scan-guided pleural biopsy using an Abrams' needle (CT-ANPB) with US-ass...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a primary solid malignancy related to inhalational asbestos exposure. Despite advances in therapy, MPM remains challenging treat with post-treatment survival of only 15% at 5-year. In recent years, extra-pleural pneumonectomy has decreased popularity due high morbidity rate and mortality compared pleurectomy/decortication other therapeutic alternatives. t...

AIMS To examine the hypothesis that people with benign pleural disease or asbestosis have an increased risk of malignant mesothelioma beyond that attributable to their degree of asbestos exposure. METHODS Former workers and residents of the crocidolite mining and milling town of Wittenoom are participating in a cancer prevention programme (n = 1988). The first plain chest radiograph taken at ...