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The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Jul 2020Chest X-ray (CXR) is a longstanding method for the diagnosis of pneumothorax but chest ultrasonography (CUS) may be a safer, more rapid, and more accurate modality in... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Chest X-ray (CXR) is a longstanding method for the diagnosis of pneumothorax but chest ultrasonography (CUS) may be a safer, more rapid, and more accurate modality in trauma patients at the bedside that does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation. This may lead to improved and expedited management of traumatic pneumothorax and improved patient safety and clinical outcomes.
OBJECTIVES
To compare the diagnostic accuracy of chest ultrasonography (CUS) by frontline non-radiologist physicians versus chest X-ray (CXR) for diagnosis of pneumothorax in trauma patients in the emergency department (ED). To investigate the effects of potential sources of heterogeneity such as type of CUS operator (frontline non-radiologist physicians), type of trauma (blunt vs penetrating), and type of US probe on test accuracy.
SEARCH METHODS
We conducted a comprehensive search of the following electronic databases from database inception to 10 April 2020: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Plus, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Web of Science Core Collection and Clinicaltrials.gov. We handsearched reference lists of included articles and reviews retrieved via electronic searching; and we carried out forward citation searching of relevant articles in Google Scholar and looked at the "Related articles" on PubMed.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included prospective, paired comparative accuracy studies comparing CUS performed by frontline non-radiologist physicians to supine CXR in trauma patients in the emergency department (ED) suspected of having pneumothorax, and with computed tomography (CT) of the chest or tube thoracostomy as the reference standard.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently extracted data from each included study using a data extraction form. We included studies using patients as the unit of analysis in the main analysis and we included those using lung fields in the secondary analysis. We performed meta-analyses by using a bivariate model to estimate and compare summary sensitivities and specificities.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 13 studies of which nine (410 traumatic pneumothorax patients out of 1271 patients) used patients as the unit of analysis; we thus included them in the primary analysis. The remaining four studies used lung field as the unit of analysis and we included them in the secondary analysis. We judged all studies to be at high or unclear risk of bias in one or more domains, with most studies (11/13, 85%) being judged at high or unclear risk of bias in the patient selection domain. There was substantial heterogeneity in the sensitivity of supine CXR amongst the included studies. In the primary analysis, the summary sensitivity and specificity of CUS were 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85 to 0.94) and 0.99 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.00); and the summary sensitivity and specificity of supine CXR were 0.47 (95% CI 0.31 to 0.63) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.00). There was a significant difference in the sensitivity of CUS compared to CXR with an absolute difference in sensitivity of 0.44 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.61; P < 0.001). In contrast, CUS and CXR had similar specificities: comparing CUS to CXR, the absolute difference in specificity was -0.007 (95% CI -0.018 to 0.005, P = 0.35). The findings imply that in a hypothetical cohort of 100 patients if 30 patients have traumatic pneumothorax (i.e. prevalence of 30%), CUS would miss 3 (95% CI 2 to 4) cases (false negatives) and overdiagnose 1 (95% CI 0 to 2) of those without pneumothorax (false positives); while CXR would miss 16 (95% CI 11 to 21) cases with 0 (95% CI 0 to 2) overdiagnosis of those who do not have pneumothorax.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The diagnostic accuracy of CUS performed by frontline non-radiologist physicians for the diagnosis of pneumothorax in ED trauma patients is superior to supine CXR, independent of the type of trauma, type of CUS operator, or type of CUS probe used. These findings suggest that CUS for the diagnosis of traumatic pneumothorax should be incorporated into trauma protocols and algorithms in future medical training programmes; and that CUS may beneficially change routine management of trauma.
Topics: Bias; Confidence Intervals; Emergency Service, Hospital; Humans; Pneumothorax; Prospective Studies; Radiography, Thoracic; Sensitivity and Specificity; Supine Position; Thoracic Injuries; Ultrasonography; Wounds, Nonpenetrating; Wounds, Penetrating
PubMed: 32702777
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013031.pub2 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Jan 2021Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) and Xpert MTB/RIF are World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended rapid nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) widely used for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) and Xpert MTB/RIF are World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended rapid nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) widely used for simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and rifampicin resistance in sputum. To extend our previous review on extrapulmonary tuberculosis (Kohli 2018), we performed this update to inform updated WHO policy (WHO Consolidated Guidelines (Module 3) 2020).
OBJECTIVES
To estimate diagnostic accuracy of Xpert Ultra and Xpert MTB/RIF for extrapulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults with presumptive extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
SEARCH METHODS
Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register, MEDLINE, Embase, Science Citation Index, Web of Science, Latin American Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Registry, and ProQuest, 2 August 2019 and 28 January 2020 (Xpert Ultra studies), without language restriction.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Cross-sectional and cohort studies using non-respiratory specimens. Forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis: tuberculous meningitis and pleural, lymph node, bone or joint, genitourinary, peritoneal, pericardial, disseminated tuberculosis. Reference standards were culture and a study-defined composite reference standard (tuberculosis detection); phenotypic drug susceptibility testing and line probe assays (rifampicin resistance detection).
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias and applicability using QUADAS-2. For tuberculosis detection, we performed separate analyses by specimen type and reference standard using the bivariate model to estimate pooled sensitivity and specificity with 95% credible intervals (CrIs). We applied a latent class meta-analysis model to three forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. We assessed certainty of evidence using GRADE.
MAIN RESULTS
69 studies: 67 evaluated Xpert MTB/RIF and 11 evaluated Xpert Ultra, of which nine evaluated both tests. Most studies were conducted in China, India, South Africa, and Uganda. Overall, risk of bias was low for patient selection, index test, and flow and timing domains, and low (49%) or unclear (43%) for the reference standard domain. Applicability for the patient selection domain was unclear for most studies because we were unsure of the clinical settings. Cerebrospinal fluid Xpert Ultra (6 studies) Xpert Ultra pooled sensitivity and specificity (95% CrI) against culture were 89.4% (79.1 to 95.6) (89 participants; low-certainty evidence) and 91.2% (83.2 to 95.7) (386 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have tuberculous meningitis, 168 would be Xpert Ultra-positive: of these, 79 (47%) would not have tuberculosis (false-positives) and 832 would be Xpert Ultra-negative: of these, 11 (1%) would have tuberculosis (false-negatives). Xpert MTB/RIF (30 studies) Xpert MTB/RIF pooled sensitivity and specificity against culture were 71.1% (62.8 to 79.1) (571 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) and 96.9% (95.4 to 98.0) (2824 participants; high-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have tuberculous meningitis, 99 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-positive: of these, 28 (28%) would not have tuberculosis; and 901 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-negative: of these, 29 (3%) would have tuberculosis. Pleural fluid Xpert Ultra (4 studies) Xpert Ultra pooled sensitivity and specificity against culture were 75.0% (58.0 to 86.4) (158 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and 87.0% (63.1 to 97.9) (240 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have pleural tuberculosis, 192 would be Xpert Ultra-positive: of these, 117 (61%) would not have tuberculosis; and 808 would be Xpert Ultra-negative: of these, 25 (3%) would have tuberculosis. Xpert MTB/RIF (25 studies) Xpert MTB/RIF pooled sensitivity and specificity against culture were 49.5% (39.8 to 59.9) (644 participants; low-certainty evidence) and 98.9% (97.6 to 99.7) (2421 participants; high-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have pleural tuberculosis, 60 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-positive: of these, 10 (17%) would not have tuberculosis; and 940 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-negative: of these, 50 (5%) would have tuberculosis. Lymph node aspirate Xpert Ultra (1 study) Xpert Ultra sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval) against composite reference standard were 70% (51 to 85) (30 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and 100% (92 to 100) (43 participants; low-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have lymph node tuberculosis, 70 would be Xpert Ultra-positive and 0 (0%) would not have tuberculosis; 930 would be Xpert Ultra-negative and 30 (3%) would have tuberculosis. Xpert MTB/RIF (4 studies) Xpert MTB/RIF pooled sensitivity and specificity against composite reference standard were 81.6% (61.9 to 93.3) (377 participants; low-certainty evidence) and 96.4% (91.3 to 98.6) (302 participants; low-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have lymph node tuberculosis, 118 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-positive and 37 (31%) would not have tuberculosis; 882 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-negative and 19 (2%) would have tuberculosis. In lymph node aspirate, Xpert MTB/RIF pooled specificity against culture was 86.2% (78.0 to 92.3), lower than that against a composite reference standard. Using the latent class model, Xpert MTB/RIF pooled specificity was 99.5% (99.1 to 99.7), similar to that observed with a composite reference standard. Rifampicin resistance Xpert Ultra (4 studies) Xpert Ultra pooled sensitivity and specificity were 100.0% (95.1 to 100.0), (24 participants; low-certainty evidence) and 100.0% (99.0 to 100.0) (105 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have rifampicin resistance, 100 would be Xpert Ultra-positive (resistant): of these, zero (0%) would not have rifampicin resistance; and 900 would be Xpert Ultra-negative (susceptible): of these, zero (0%) would have rifampicin resistance. Xpert MTB/RIF (19 studies) Xpert MTB/RIF pooled sensitivity and specificity were 96.5% (91.9 to 98.8) (148 participants; high-certainty evidence) and 99.1% (98.0 to 99.7) (822 participants; high-certainty evidence). Of 1000 people where 100 have rifampicin resistance, 105 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-positive (resistant): of these, 8 (8%) would not have rifampicin resistance; and 895 would be Xpert MTB/RIF-negative (susceptible): of these, 3 (0.3%) would have rifampicin resistance.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Xpert Ultra and Xpert MTB/RIF may be helpful in diagnosing extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Sensitivity varies across different extrapulmonary specimens: while for most specimens specificity is high, the tests rarely yield a positive result for people without tuberculosis. For tuberculous meningitis, Xpert Ultra had higher sensitivity and lower specificity than Xpert MTB/RIF against culture. Xpert Ultra and Xpert MTB/RIF had similar sensitivity and specificity for rifampicin resistance. Future research should acknowledge the concern associated with culture as a reference standard in paucibacillary specimens and consider ways to address this limitation.
Topics: Adult; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Bias; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Humans; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Rifampin; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node; Tuberculosis, Meningeal; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant; Tuberculosis, Pleural
PubMed: 33448348
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012768.pub3 -
Chest Jan 2020Pleural biopsy using either video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or medical pleuroscopy is the current diagnostic criterion standard for pleural pathology with a high,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Pleural biopsy using either video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or medical pleuroscopy is the current diagnostic criterion standard for pleural pathology with a high, yet imperfect, diagnostic yield. Cryobiopsy may provide greater tissue, increase depth of sampled tissue, and/or reduce crush artifact. However, its impact on diagnostic yield remains uncertain, and there are potential concerns regarding its safety too. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the same.
METHODS
We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar for studies evaluating the performance of pleural cryobiopsy, assessing the quality of each study using the Quality Assessment, Data Abstraction and Synthesis-2 tool. Using inverse variance weighting, we performed a meta-analysis of diagnostic yield estimations. We also reviewed specimen characteristics and complications related to the procedure.
RESULTS
Seven observational studies involving 586 pleural biopsies (311 cryobiopsies and 275 flexible forceps biopsies) were evaluated. All but one study used a semi-rigid thoracoscope. Meta-analysis generated a diagnostic yield of 96.5% for cryobiopsy and 93.1% for forceps biopsy with an inverse variance-weighted OR of 1.61 (95% CI, 0.71-3.66) and an I of 16%. No instances of moderate to severe bleeding were reported with cryobiopsy. A funnel plot illustrated no major publication bias.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on analysis of relatively homogenous observational data, pleural cryobiopsy is safe but does not increase diagnostic yield over flexible forceps biopsy. Adequately powered multicenter randomized trials are needed for further investigation.
Topics: Biopsy; Cryosurgery; Humans; Pleural Diseases; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted
PubMed: 31610161
DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2019.09.023 -
Inhalation Toxicology Jan 2015US EPA proposed a Reference Concentration for Libby amphibole asbestos based on the premise that pleural plaques are adverse and cause lung function deficits. (Review)
Review
CONTEXT
US EPA proposed a Reference Concentration for Libby amphibole asbestos based on the premise that pleural plaques are adverse and cause lung function deficits.
OBJECTIVE
We conducted a systematic review to evaluate whether there is an association between pleural plaques and lung function and ascertain whether results were dependent on the method used to identify plaques.
METHODS
Using the PubMed database, we identified studies that evaluated pleural plaques and lung function. We assessed each study for quality, then integrated evidence and assessed associations based on the Bradford Hill guidelines. We also compared the results of HRCT studies to those of X-ray studies.
RESULTS
We identified 16 HRCT and 36 X-ray studies. We rated six HRCT and 16 X-ray studies as higher quality based on a risk-of-bias analysis. Half of the higher quality studies reported small but statistically significant mean lung function decrements associated with plaques. None of the differences were clinically significant. Many studies had limitations, such as inappropriate controls and/or insufficient adjustment for confounders. There was little consistency in the direction of effect for the most commonly reported measurements. X-ray results were more variable than HRCT results. Pleural plaques were not associated with changes in lung function over time in longitudinal studies.
CONCLUSION
The weight of evidence indicates that pleural plaques do not impact lung function. Observed associations are most likely due to unidentified abnormalities or other factors.
Topics: Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Lung; Pleural Diseases; Radiography; Spirometry
PubMed: 25518994
DOI: 10.3109/08958378.2014.981349 -
Injury Oct 2021Tension pneumothorax (TPT) is a frequent life-threat following thoracic injury. Time-critical decompression of the pleural cavity improves survival. However, whilst... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Tension pneumothorax (TPT) is a frequent life-threat following thoracic injury. Time-critical decompression of the pleural cavity improves survival. However, whilst paramedics utilise needle thoracostomy (NT) and/or finger thoracostomy (FT) in the prehospital setting, the superiority of one technique over the other remains unknown.
AIM
To determine and compare procedural success, complications and mortality between NT and FT for treatment of a suspected TPT when performed by paramedics.
METHODS
We searched four databases (Ovid Medline, PubMed, CINAHL and Embase) from their commencement until 25 August 2020. Studies were included if they analysed patients suffering from a suspected TPT who were treated in the prehospital setting with a NT or FT by paramedics (or local equivalent nonphysicians).
RESULTS
The search yielded 293 articles after duplicates were removed of which 19 were included for final analysis. Seventeen studies were retrospective (8 cohort; 7 case series; 2 case control) and two were prospective cohort studies. Only one study was comparative, and none were randomised controlled trials. Most studies were conducted in the USA (n=13) and the remaining in Australia (n=4), Switzerland (n=1) and Canada (n=1). Mortality ranged from 12.5% to 79% for NT and 64.7% to 92.9% for FT patients. A higher proportion of complications were reported among patients managed with NT (13.7%) compared to FT (4.8%). We extracted three common themes from the papers of what constituted as a successful pleural decompression; vital signs improvement, successful pleural cavity access and absence of TPT at hospital arrival.
CONCLUSION
Evidence surrounding prehospital pleural decompression of a TPT by paramedics is limited. Available literature suggests that both FT and NT are safe for pleural decompression, however both procedures have associated complications. Additional high-quality evidence and comparative studies investigating the outcomes of interest is necessary to determine if and which procedure is superior in the prehospital setting.
Topics: Allied Health Personnel; Decompression, Surgical; Emergency Medical Services; Humans; Pneumothorax; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Thoracostomy
PubMed: 34454722
DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2021.08.008 -
Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular... 2018Interventional pulmonology is an innovative branch of pulmonary medicine that uses minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to airway, parenchymal, and... (Review)
Review
Interventional pulmonology is an innovative branch of pulmonary medicine that uses minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to airway, parenchymal, and pleural disease. The author reviews recent high-impact trials including randomized trials describing the use of endobronchial coils and valves in the management of severe emphysema. Novel approaches to the palliation of malignant and benign pleural effusion including increasing the frequency of drainage and instillation of talc via tunneled pleural catheters are also presented. In addition, a recent consensus paper discussing the optimal use and technique of cryobiopsy in diffuse parenchymal disease is reviewed, as well as a systematic review and meta-analysis of its diagnostic yield. The final trial reviewed in this article describes the preliminary safety and efficacy study of a novel endobronchial, balloon, and injection catheter for the local administration of chemotherapy into the airway mucosa so as to minimize the systemic absorption of these agents.
Topics: Bronchoscopy; Catheterization; Diffusion of Innovation; Dilatation; Drainage; Humans; Lung Diseases; Predictive Value of Tests; Pulmonary Medicine; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 29803762
DOI: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2018.05.003 -
Thorax Jan 2023Pleural fluid cytology is an important diagnostic test used for the investigation of pleural effusions. There is considerable variability in the reported sensitivity for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Pleural fluid cytology is an important diagnostic test used for the investigation of pleural effusions. There is considerable variability in the reported sensitivity for the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions (MPE) in the literature.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this review is to determine the diagnostic sensitivity of pleural fluid cytology for MPE, both overall and by tumour type, to better inform the decision-making process when investigating pleural effusions.
DATA SOURCES
A literature search of EMBASE and MEDLINE was performed by four reviewers. Articles satisfying inclusion criteria were evaluated for bias using the QUADAS-2 tool.
DATA EXTRACTION
For quantitative analysis, we performed a metaanalysis using a binary random-effects model to determine pooled sensitivity. Subgroup analysis was performed based on primary cancer site and meta-regression by year of publication.
SYNTHESIS
Thirty-six studies with 6057 patients with MPE were included in the meta-analysis. The overall diagnostic sensitivity of pleural fluid cytology for MPE was 58.2% (95% CI 52.5% to 63.9%; range 20.5%-86.0%). There was substantial heterogeneity present among studies (I 95.5%). For primary thoracic malignancies, sensitivity was highest in lung adenocarcinoma (83.6%; 95% CI 77.7% to 89.6%) and lowest in lung squamous cell carcinoma (24.2%; 95% CI 17.0% to 31.5%) and mesothelioma (28.9%; 95% CI 16.2% to 41.5%). For malignancies with extrathoracic origin, sensitivity was high for ovarian cancer (85.2%; 95% CI 74.2% to 96.1%) and modest for breast cancer (65.3%; 95% CI 49.8% to 80.8%).
CONCLUSIONS
Pleural fluid cytology has an overall sensitivity of 58.2% for the diagnosis of MPE. Clinicians should be aware of the high variability in diagnostic sensitivity by primary tumour type as well as the potential reasons for false-negative cytology results.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021231473.
Topics: Humans; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Pleura; Mesothelioma; Pleural Effusion; Lung Neoplasms; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 35110369
DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-217959 -
Clinical and Translational Science Jun 2022The exact role of pleural effusion in the prognosis of cancer patients remains unclear. We aimed to systematically review the prognostic value of pleural effusion in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The exact role of pleural effusion in the prognosis of cancer patients remains unclear. We aimed to systematically review the prognostic value of pleural effusion in patients with cancer. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis with a systematic literature search. All cohort studies with available overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) results for patients with cancer with or without pleural effusion were included. The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to calculate the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity and publication bias were examined. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed. A total of 47 studies with 146,117 patients were included in the analysis. For OS, pleural effusion was a prognostic factor associated with a poor prognosis for patients with cancer (HR, 1.58, 95% CI, 1.43-1.75; I 94.8%). In the subgroup analysis, pleural effusion was a prognostic factor associated with poor survival for patients with lung cancer (HR, 1.44, 95% CI, 1.35-1.54; I 60.8%), hematological cancer (HR, 2.79, 95% CI, 1.63-4.77; I 29.4%) and other types of cancer (HR, 2.08, 95% CI, 1.43-3.01; I 55.1%). For PFS, pleural effusion was a prognostic factor associated with a poor prognosis for patients with cancer (HR, 1.61, 95% CI, 1.28-2.03; I 42.9%). We also observed that massive pleural effusion was a prognostic factor associated with a poorer prognosis compared to minimal pleural effusion. Pleural effusion had prognostic value in both OS and PFS of patients with cancer, except for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, regardless of whether the malignant effusion was confirmed histologically or cytologically. However, future evidence of other pleural effusion characteristics is still needed.
Topics: Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Mesothelioma, Malignant; Pleural Effusion; Prognosis; Proportional Hazards Models
PubMed: 35212454
DOI: 10.1111/cts.13260 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Mar 2017Corticosteroids used in addition to antituberculous therapy have been reported to benefit people with tuberculous pleurisy. However, research findings are inconsistent... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Corticosteroids used in addition to antituberculous therapy have been reported to benefit people with tuberculous pleurisy. However, research findings are inconsistent and raise doubt as to whether such treatment is worthwhile. There is also concern regarding the potential adverse effects of corticosteroids, especially in HIV-positive people.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effects of adding corticosteroids to drug regimens for tuberculous pleural effusion.
SEARCH METHODS
In April 2016, we searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL (the Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, Current Controlled Trials, and the reference lists of articles identified by the literature search.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs that compared any corticosteroid with no treatment, placebo, or other active treatment (both groups should have received the same antituberculous drug regimen) in people diagnosed with tuberculous pleurisy.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently screened the search results, extracted data from the included trials, and assessed trial methodological quality using the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool. We analysed the data using risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We applied the fixed-effect model in the absence of statistically significant heterogeneity.
MAIN RESULTS
Six trials with 590 participants met the inclusion criteria, which were conducted in Asia (three trials), Africa (two trials), and Europe (one trial). Two trials were in HIV-negative people, one trial was in HIV-positive people, and three trials did not report HIV status.Corticosteroids may reduce the time to resolution of pleural effusion. Risk of residual pleural effusion on chest X-ray was reduced by 45% at eight weeks (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.78; 237 participants, 2 trials, low certainty evidence), and 65% at 24 weeks (RR 0.35, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.66; 237 participants, 2 trials, low certainty evidence).Compared with control, corticosteroids may reduce the risk of having pleural changes (such as pleural thickening or pleural adhesions), on chest X-ray at the end of follow-up by almost one third (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.92; 393 participants, 5 trials,low certainty evidence), which translates to an absolute risk reduction of 16%.One trial reported deaths in people that were HIV-positive, with no obvious difference between the groups; the trial authors' analysis suggests that the deaths observed in this trial were related to HIV disease rather than pleural TB (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.31; 197 participants, 1 trial).We found limited data on long-term functional respiratory impairment on 187 people in two trials, which reported that average percentage predicted forced vital capacity was similar in the group receiving prednisolone and in the control group (very low certainty evidence).The risk of adverse events that led to discontinuation of the trial drug was higher in people with pleural TB receiving corticosteroids (RR 2.78, 95% CI 1.11 to 6.94; 587 participants, 6 trials, low certainty evidence). The trial in HIV-positive people reported on six different HIV-related infections, with no obvious differences. However, cases of Kaposi's sarcoma were only seen in the corticosteroid group (with 6/99 cases in the steroid group compared to 0/98 in the control group) (very low certainty evidence).
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Long-term respiratory function is potentially the most important outcome for assessing the effects of adjunctive treatments for people with pleural TB. However, the information on the impact of pleural TB on long-term respiratory function is unknown and could be eclipsed by other risk factors, such as concurrent pulmonary TB, smoking, and HIV. This probably needs to be quantified to help decide whether further trials of corticosteroids for pleural TB would be worthwhile.
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Antitubercular Agents; HIV Seronegativity; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; Pleura; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Tuberculosis, Pleural; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
PubMed: 28290161
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001876.pub3 -
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Jan 2022Motivated by a case finding of Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) associated with atypical pneumonia and pleural effusion in which was identified by molecular methods in... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Motivated by a case finding of Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) associated with atypical pneumonia and pleural effusion in which was identified by molecular methods in the pleural fluid, we wanted to summarize the clinical presentations of rickettsiosis in Italy by systematic research and to make a systematic review of all the global cases of rickettsiosis associated with pleural effusion.
METHODS
For the literature search, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was followed. We chose to select only the studies published in last 25 years and confirmed both with serological and molecular assays.
RESULTS
Human cases of rickettsiosis in Italy were reported in 48 papers describing 2831 patients with very different clinical presentations; the majority was MSF accounted to and was reported in Sicily. Pleural effusion associated with infection with microorganisms belonging to Rickettsiales was described in 487 patients. It was rarely associated with microorganisms different from also rarely, cases of scrub typhus were reported outside Southeast Asia and in the largest majority, the diagnosis was achieved with serology.
CONCLUSIONS
MSF, especially when caused by may be a severe disease. A high index of suspicion is required to promptly start life-saving therapy. Pleural effusion and interstitial pneumonia may be part of the clinical picture of severe rickettsial disease and should not lead the physician away from this diagnosis.
PubMed: 35051127
DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed7010011