Pleural effusion is a commonly encountered medical problem. Its clinical and radiological features often fail to identify the underlying cause. Pleural fluid aspiration and needle biopsy of pleura are initial diagnostic procedures to ascertain the aetiology of effusion. Both these procedures are performed under local anaesthesia and cariy a low risk of complication. Being a blind procedure, ade...

Southeast Asia is the major endemic area for paragonimiasis. Diagnosis relies on identification of ova in the sputum, pleural fluid or tissue specimen, or serology. Low awareness, however, frequently results in the disease being overlooked. We report nine cases presenting as primary, massive and protracted pleural effusions. All patients had evidence of Paragonimus spp. in the pleural fluid; on...

A 22-year-old Asian male presented with fever, non-productive cough, right-sided pleuritic chest pain and was found to have a large right hydropneumothorax. A chest tube was placed. Pleural fluid analysis revealed a lymphocytic predominant exudate and he was subsequently started on four-drug daily anti-tuberculosis therapy (isoniazid, ethambutol, rifampin, pyrazinamide). Pleural biopsy revealed...

BACKGROUND Lung disorders are important for prognosis of connective tissue disease (CTD). Thus, chest radiography, High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) of the chest and ultrasonic echocardiogram are suggested after the diagnosis of these conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate chest HRCT findings in patients with CTD. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this descriptive cross-section...

The pleural membrane consisting of pleural mesothelial cells and its underlying connective tissue layers play a critical role in immunological responses in both local and systemic diseases. The pleura, because of its intimate proximity to the lung, is positioned to respond to inflammatory changes in the lung parenchyma. Importantly, several systemic diseases have a predilection for expression o...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Pleural effusions commonly occur in patients with left heart failure. However, there is increasing evidence that patients with pulmonary hypertension and isolated right heart failure frequently have pleural effusions. RECENT FINDINGS Three recent studies have evaluated the incidence of pleural effusions without an alternate explanation in patients with idiopathic/familial pu...

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare malignant cancer of vascular origin that can affect multiple and varied tissue sites. A subtype of EHE, pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (PHE), is more unusual with only 200 reported cases. Of these, only 27 have been classified as pleural in origin. Based on available literature, the average age of presentation of pleural PHE is 45.7 y...

Disseminated lymphangiomatosis is a rare disease mostly observed in children and young adults. If no surgical removal can be achieved, the prognosis is poor, especially for patients with thoracic localization and pleural effusions. Next to pleural drainage, therapeutic options include radiotherapy, local, and systemic pharmacotherapy. An 11-year-old boy presented with disseminated lymphangiomat...

A three-year-old spayed domestic short-haired cat presented for evaluation of weight loss, cardiomegaly and pleural effusion. Echocardiographic examination demonstrated a thickened pericardium with mild pericardial effusion and a large volume of pleural effusion characterized by exudate. Although the cat was treated with antibiotics, the clinical symptoms did not improve. The cat developed dysp...

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is the most common pulmonary complication of AIDS and is typically diagnosed by the identification of P carinii organisms in sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, or tissue obtained with transbronchial biopsy. We describe two HIV-seropositive patients with pleural effusions in whom the diagnosis of P carinii infection was made by examination of pleural fluid...