The object of this study was to compare the diagnostic yield of Abrams and Cope needles. Pleural biopsies were performed in 24 patients with both needles. In two patients, the procedure was repeated within a few days. All patients had pleural effusion. The biopsies were performed at the same time; the biopsy sites were no more than 5 cm distant from each other. Diagnoses were exclusively pathol...

BACKGROUND Although there are many methods including AFB smear and culture, and the analysis of pleural fluid in the etiological diagnosis of pleural effusion, it is sometimes difficult to confirm a diagnosis especially in cases of incomplete pleural biopsies. Moreover, the high incidence of tuberculous pleuritis in young people caused confusion in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To compare the diagnostic sensitivity of a modified Abrams needle pleural biopsy technique (A1) with the standard Abrams (A2) and Cope needle biopsy methods. The modified Abrams pleural biopsy technique consisted of suctioning each tissue sample into a syringe without removing the needle completely from the chest until the completion of the entire procedure. Both the standard Ab...

The authors report a case of thoracic splenosis, which is the autotransplantation of splenic tissue into the pleural cavity. Splenosis in the chest is a rare entity and most often an incidental finding on chest computed tomography, typically showing solitary or multiple well-defined, noncalcified pleural nodules of variable size in the left hemithorax. It is important to include this benign pat...

The increasing availability of bedside ultrasonography allows for more timely diagnosis and treatment of pleural effusion while limiting the patient's exposure to radiation. The dynamic signs characteristic of pleural effusions include respirophasic changes in the shape of the fluid collection, floating movements of atelectatic lung, and the plankton sign. Ultrasonography also is an efficient m...

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare malignant neoplasm that arises from mesothelial surfaces of the pleural cavity, peritoneal cavity, tunica vaginalis, or pericardium. Typically, pleural fluid cytology or closed pleural biopsy, surgical intervention (video thoracoscopic biopsy or open thoracotomy) is conducted to obtain pleural tissue specimens. However, endobronchial lesions are rarely seen and ...

Eosinophilic pleural effusion (EPE) is defined as a pleural effusion that contains at least 10% eosinophils. EPE occurs due to a variety of causes such as blood or air in the pleural space, infection, malignancy, or an autoimmune disease. Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) associated with eosinophilic pleural effusion is a rare condition generally characterized by the presence of...

Increasing incidence of pleural infection has been reported worldwide in recent decades. The pathogens responsible for pleural infection are changing and differ from those in community acquired pneumonia. The main treatments for pleural infection are antibiotics and drainage of infected pleural fluid. The efficacy of intrapleural fibrinolytics remains unclear, although a recent randomized contr...

The preceding study has shown that turpentine (one cubic centimeter) injected into the pleural cavity of the dog causes rapid exudation of a large quantity of coagulable fluid. Fibrin containing a considerable proportion of the leucocytes which migrate from the blood vessels as a result of the chemiotactic action of the irritant is deposited upon pleural surfaces and the serous fluid about this...