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Journal of Bronchology & Interventional... Apr 2019Chronic pleural infection is characterized by thickened pleura and nonexpandable lung often requiring definitive surgical intervention, such as decortication and/or...
Chronic pleural infection is characterized by thickened pleura and nonexpandable lung often requiring definitive surgical intervention, such as decortication and/or pleural obliteration procedures. Such procedures are associated with significant morbidity and require proper patient selection for a successful outcome. We report a cohort of 11 patients with pleural space infection and a nonexpandable lung treated with tunneled pleural catheters (TPCs). Following placement, hospital discharge and TPC removal occurred after a median of 5 and 36 days, respectively. Three patients presented with residual loculated effusion that resolved with instillation of intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy. One patient eventually required open window thoracostomy for ongoing pleural infection due to poor medical compliance with TPC care and drainage instructions. TPCs represent an alternative option for drainage of an infected pleural space in nonsurgical candidates with a nonexpandable lung. Their use, as a compliment to traditional treatment, may facilitate prompt hospital discharge and ambulatory management in patients with limited life expectancy.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Candidiasis; Catheters; Chest Tubes; Drainage; Escherichia coli Infections; Female; Fluoroscopy; Fusobacterium Infections; Humans; Infections; Male; Middle Aged; Pleurisy; Retrospective Studies; Staphylococcal Infections; Streptococcal Infections; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; Thoracoscopy; Thoracostomy
PubMed: 30908392
DOI: 10.1097/LBR.0000000000000553 -
Journal of X-ray Science and Technology 2020Recently, COVID-19 has spread in more than 100 countries and regions around the world, raising grave global concerns. COVID-19 transmits mainly through respiratory... (Review)
Review
Recently, COVID-19 has spread in more than 100 countries and regions around the world, raising grave global concerns. COVID-19 transmits mainly through respiratory droplets and close contacts, causing cluster infections. The symptoms are dominantly fever, fatigue, and dry cough, and can be complicated with tiredness, sore throat, and headache. A few patients have symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny nose, and diarrhea. The severe disease can progress rapidly into the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Next-generation sequencing (NGS) are the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. Chest imaging is used for cross validation. Chest CT is highly recommended as the preferred imaging diagnosis method for COVID-19 due to its high density and high spatial resolution. The common CT manifestation of COVID-19 includes multiple segmental ground glass opacities (GGOs) distributed dominantly in extrapulmonary/subpleural zones and along bronchovascular bundles with crazy paving sign and interlobular septal thickening and consolidation. Pleural effusion or mediastinal lymphadenopathy is rarely seen. In CT imaging, COVID-19 manifests differently in its various stages including the early stage, the progression (consolidation) stage, and the absorption stage. In its early stage, it manifests as scattered flaky GGOs in various sizes, dominated by peripheral pulmonary zone/subpleural distributions. In the progression state, GGOs increase in number and/or size, and lung consolidations may become visible. The main manifestation in the absorption stage is interstitial change of both lungs, such as fibrous cords and reticular opacities. Differentiation between COVID-19 pneumonia and other viral pneumonias are also analyzed. Thus, CT examination can help reduce false negatives of nucleic acid tests.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Diagnosis, Differential; Disease Progression; Humans; Lung; Pandemics; Pleural Effusion; Pneumonia, Viral; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; SARS-CoV-2; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 32538893
DOI: 10.3233/XST-200687 -
Respiratory Medicine Dec 2022Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pleuritis is an uncommon manifestation of NTM infection. Case reports and small case series have shown a variable clinical course and...
BACKGROUND
Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pleuritis is an uncommon manifestation of NTM infection. Case reports and small case series have shown a variable clinical course and high mortality rates.
OBJECTIVE
To describe patients' characteristics, clinical presentation and outcomes of NTM pleural infections.
METHODS
A systematic review of cases of NTM pleural infections published in PubMed-indexed journals from 1980 to 2021.
RESULTS
A total of 206 cases of NTM pleural infections were found and analyzed. Fifty-eight percent of cases were males. The mean age was 57.5 yrs (range 9-87 yrs). Forty-three percent of patients were immunosuppressed, and 43% had a chronic lung disease; thirty-two percent had neither risk factor. In addition to the pleural infection, 67% of cases had a concurrent pulmonary NTM infection, and in 18 cases there was another extrapulmonary site of NTM infection. In 29% of cases the pleural infection was the sole manifestation of NTM disease. The most common isolated mycobacterium was Mycobacterium avium complex (65%). Fifty-three percent and 26% of patients required pleural effusion drainage and a surgical intervention, respectively, to treat the infection, in addition to anti-NTM chemotherapy. Forty percent of patients developed pneumothorax, 16% suffered from empyema, and 16.5% had broncho-pleural fistula. The reported mortality rate was 24%.
CONCLUSION
NTM pleural infections may arise in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients, with or without chronic lung disease or concurrent NTM pulmonary infection. These infections carry a poor prognosis and a high risk of complications requiring surgical interventions in addition to anti-NTM chemotherapy.
Topics: Male; Humans; Child; Adolescent; Young Adult; Adult; Middle Aged; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Retrospective Studies; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 36335889
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2022.107036 -
Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery Feb 2023Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare mesenchymal pleural neoplasms with an overall good prognosis and low recurrence rate if completely resected and if degree of... (Review)
Review
Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare mesenchymal pleural neoplasms with an overall good prognosis and low recurrence rate if completely resected and if degree of differentiation is favorable. Within the last decade, advances in research have led to more reliable methods of differentiating SFTs from other soft tissue tumors. Historically, several markers were used to distinguish SFTs from similar tumors, but these markers had poor specificity. Recent evidence showed NAB2-STAT6 fusion gene to be a distinct feature of SFTs with 100% specificity and sensitivity. Surgical resection, with an emphasis on obtaining negative margins, is the mainstay of treatment for SFTs. Preoperative planning with detailed imaging is imperative to delineate the extent of disease and vascular supply. One important radiologic distinction to aid delineation of a pleural-based tumor compared to a pulmonary parenchymal-based tumor is the angle that the tumor forms with the chest wall, which is obtuse for a pleural-based tumor, and acute for tumors of the lung parenchyma. Often, preoperative tissue diagnosis is not available, and surgery is both diagnostic and curative. Intraoperatively, emphasis should be on complete resection with negative margins. SFTs are resected via several approaches: thoracotomy, sternotomy with the option of hemi-clamshell extension, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and robotic approach, which is increasingly being used and is our preference. We recommend a minimally invasive approach for most lesions, and have resected SFTs of the pleura that are up to 12 cm with the robotic approach. However, the current literature often cites 5 cm as the cut off for an open thoracotomy. Nevertheless, even with larger tumors, a minimally invasive robotic approach is our preference and practice. For giant SFTs (> 20 cm), an open approach may be preferable. Multiple thoracotomies and rib resection may be required to gain adequate exposure and ensure complete resection in these tumors. However, it is noteworthy that most of these tumors have a soft consistency and thus, once bagged, can easily be removed minimally invasively, and thus minimally invasive approach should not be completely ruled out. Recurrence in SFTs usually results from incomplete resection and redo surgery may portend a favorable prognosis.
Topics: Humans; Pleura; Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome; Solitary Fibrous Tumors; Pleural Neoplasms; Prognosis
PubMed: 36823638
DOI: 10.1186/s13019-023-02168-7 -
Acta Medica Indonesiana Jul 2018Dengue viral infection remains a major public health problem. As many as 400 million people are infected yearly. Even though the vaccine is available, the use of dengue...
Dengue viral infection remains a major public health problem. As many as 400 million people are infected yearly. Even though the vaccine is available, the use of dengue vaccine is still limited due to some concerns. Among patient infected with dengue viral infection, early recognition of the virus and prompt supportive treatment are important to avoid complication and mortality.The clinical spectrum of dengue viral infection is diverse ranging from undifferentiated fever to dengue shock syndrome characterized by plasma leak and hemoconcentration. No specific antiviral therapy is available. Therefore, anticipation of complication should be performed adequately.The most dangerous complication of dengue infection is shock syndrome. Hypothetically the occurrence of shock is a result of secondary viral infection. The manifestation of increased vascular permeability and low intravascular volume lead to the development of shock. In addition to that, another complex mechanism underlies the occurrence of shock such as endothelial dysfunction that could happened abruptly. No specific method exists to identify this condition as early as possible.During dengue infection, fever can be last between 2 and 7 days. The localized plasma leakage could happen and manifested as a pleural effusion fluid accumulation in abdominal cavity or hemoconcentration. This will only last for 48 hours and will be resolved later spontaneously. Severity of leakage varies among patients and the unanticipated of leakage due to failure to recognize and treat this manifestation related to mortality.Most of the fatal cases of dengue are related to late detection of the illness as shown by massive hemorrhage and severe intravascular volume depletion. The role of dendritic cells is as the initiator of immune response that facilitate virus uptake. On the other hand, the non-neutralize cross reactive antibodies will increase virus uptake and resulted in more viral replication. Some studies showed higher NS1 protein were found in patients with more severe disease. In addition to that antibody to NS1 could bind to the endothelial cells and lead to apoptosis of these cells. Both host and viral factors contribute to the severity of the illness.One of the important factors for dengue viral infection is the capacity of clinicians to identify the risk factors for shock. Studies reported that female, infants, elderly, patients with concomitant diseases are prone to have more severe infection. Virus serotype and genetic susceptibility may also contribute but the evidence is still limited. So, those are not sensitive enough be used in clinical setting.Besides those, after the diagnosis of with dengue infection based on WHO criteria and confirmation by serology detection or viral material in the blood, no specific sign and symptoms are available to determine any potential severity. There were studies performed to monitor the plasma leakage using mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) instead of hematocrit values. Rapid intervention can be administered by monitoring MAP to avoid deleterious consequences.The classification of WHO 1997 or 2009 were not able to detect the plasma leakage earlier. Nainggolan et al presented the resulted of their observation among early dengue infection which was the occurrence of gallbladder wall thickening as a manifestation of plasma leakage. Ultrasonographic measurement is valuable and applicable to detect plasma leakage in earlier phase with positive likelihood ratio 2.14 (95% CI 1.12 - 4.12). Similar report from Indonesia also showed the role of ultrasonography in dengue.
Topics: Dengue; Dengue Virus; Early Diagnosis; Hemorrhage; Humans; Indonesia; Plasma; Severe Dengue; Severity of Illness Index; Ultrasonography
PubMed: 30333266
DOI: No ID Found -
Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine Jan 2023Pleural diseases encompass a broad range of conditions with diverse and heterogenous etiologies. Diagnostics in pleural diseases thus represents a challenging field with...
INTRODUCTION
Pleural diseases encompass a broad range of conditions with diverse and heterogenous etiologies. Diagnostics in pleural diseases thus represents a challenging field with a wide array of available testing to distinguish between the numerous causes of pleural disease. Nonetheless, deploying best practice diagnostics in this area is essential in reducing both duration o the investigation pathway and symptom burden.
AREAS COVERED
This article critically appraises the optimal diagnostic strategies and pathway in patients with pleural disease, reviewing the latest evidence and key practice points in achieving a treatable diagnosis in patients with pleural disease. We also cover future and novel directions that are likely to influence pleural diagnostics in the near future. PubMed was searched for articles related to pleural diagnostics (search terms below), with the date ranges including June 2012 to June 2022.
EXPERT OPINION
No single test will ever be sufficient to provide a diagnosis in pleural conditions. The key to reducing procedure burden and duration to diagnosis lies in personalizing the investigation pathway to patients and deploying tests with the highest diagnostic yield early (such as pleural biopsy in infection and malignancy). Novel biomarkers may also allow earlier diagnostic precision in the near future.
Topics: Humans; Thoracoscopy; Pleural Diseases; Pleura; Biopsy; Biomarkers; Pleural Effusion
PubMed: 36710423
DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2023.2174527 -
Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine Jan 2022Pleural disease guidelines have not been updated in a decade. Advances have been made in the diagnosis and management of pleural diseases since, with expanding evidence... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Pleural disease guidelines have not been updated in a decade. Advances have been made in the diagnosis and management of pleural diseases since, with expanding evidence of the utility of medical thoracoscopy (MT) as a safe and effective tool.
RECENT FINDINGS
Although thoracic ultrasound has improved early determination of pleural disease etiology, thoracentesis remains limited, and pleural tissue is necessary for the diagnosis of undifferentiated exudative pleural effusions. Medical thoracoscopy has been shown to be superior to traditional closed pleural biopsy, and recent literature is focused on which technique is best. A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) found rigid mini-thoracoscopy was not superior to semirigid thoracoscopy. Meta-analyses have not found pleural cyrobiopsy to be superior to forceps biopsies. As a therapeutic tool, meta-analysis suggests MT as a possible first-line tool for the treatment of complicated parapneumonic effusions (CPE) and early empyema. A RCT comparing MT to intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy demonstrated that the former technique is safe, effective, and may shorten hospital length of stay in patients with CPE/empyema.
SUMMARY
The implications of the recent findings in the medical literature are that medical thoracoscopy, particularly by trained Interventional Pulmonologists, will find an expanded role in future iteration of pleural disease guidelines.
Topics: Empyema, Pleural; Humans; Pleura; Pleural Diseases; Pleural Effusion; Pulmonary Medicine; Thoracoscopy
PubMed: 34698676
DOI: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000000841 -
Respiration; International Review of... 2021The detection of foreign bodies in the pleural cavity is rare and mostly consequent to iatrogenic or traumatic events. The migration of an inhaled foreign body from the...
The detection of foreign bodies in the pleural cavity is rare and mostly consequent to iatrogenic or traumatic events. The migration of an inhaled foreign body from the airways to the pleural space through a bronchopleural fistula is an exceptional event. We report a case of a pleural empyema consequent to an inhaled wooden skewer. CT scan and bronchoscopy were unable to identify the foreign body, due to its migration in the peripheral airways. The thin and pointed foreign body perforated the visceral pleural surface emerging in the pleural cavity.
Topics: Bronchial Fistula; Empyema, Pleural; Foreign Bodies; Humans; Pleura; Pleural Diseases
PubMed: 34134111
DOI: 10.1159/000516507 -
Journal of Bronchology & Interventional... Oct 2023Thoracoscopic pleural biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing tubercular pleural effusion (TPE). Various thoracoscopic appearances like sago grain nodules, caseous...
BACKGROUND
Thoracoscopic pleural biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing tubercular pleural effusion (TPE). Various thoracoscopic appearances like sago grain nodules, caseous necrosis, and adhesions have been described in TPE. However, none of these have high specificity for diagnosing TPE. In this study we evaluate a novel finding on thoracoscopy, the " Pleural Pustule."
METHODS
This is a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent thoracoscopy for undiagnosed pleural effusion. Visual inspection of the pleura was performed to identify abnormalities. Biopsies were obtained from those areas and sent for histopathology, acid fast bacillus (AFB) smear, culture, and Xpert MTB/Rif assay. Pleural pustule was defined as a pus filled nodule on the pleural surface.
RESULTS
Of the 259 patients included, 92 were diagnosed with TPE. Pleural pustule(s) were identified in 16 patients with TPE. Presence of pleural pustule had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 17.4%, 100%, 100% and 68.7%, respectively, for diagnosing TPE. Histopathology of pleural pustule demonstrated necrotizing granulomas in all. In patients with pleural pustule, a microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis was achieved in 93.7% patients (AFB smear, Xpert MTB/Rif assay, and MTB culture positive in 31.3%, 93.7%, and 43.7% cases, respectively). There is a strong association between pleural pustule and positive Xpert MTB/Rif assay ( P =0.002) and microbiologic confirmation of diagnosis ( P =0.017).
CONCLUSION
The presence of pleural pustule on thoracoscopy has a high positive predictive value for TPE. In tuberculosis-endemic countries, this can be considered suggestive for TPE. When identified, a biopsy from the pleural pustule should be performed as it will likely yield a positive microbiologic diagnosis.
Topics: Humans; Tuberculosis, Pleural; Pleura; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Pleural Effusion; Mycobacterium tuberculosis
PubMed: 35968962
DOI: 10.1097/LBR.0000000000000887 -
American Journal of Respiratory Cell... Feb 2022Mesothelial to mesenchymal transition (MesoMT) is one of the crucial mechanisms underlying pleural fibrosis, which results in restrictive lung disease. DOCK2 (dedicator...
Mesothelial to mesenchymal transition (MesoMT) is one of the crucial mechanisms underlying pleural fibrosis, which results in restrictive lung disease. DOCK2 (dedicator of cytokinesis 2) plays important roles in immune functions; however, its role in pleural fibrosis, particularly MesoMT, remains unknown. We found that amounts of DOCK2 and the MesoMT marker α-SMA (α-smooth muscle actin) were significantly elevated and colocalized in the thickened pleura of patients with nonspecific pleuritis, suggesting the involvement of DOCK2 in the pathogenesis of MesoMT and pleural fibrosis. Likewise, data from three different pleural fibrosis models (TGF-β [transforming growth factor-β], carbon black/bleomycin, and streptococcal empyema) consistently demonstrated DOCK2 upregulation and its colocalization with α-SMA in the pleura. In addition, induced DOCK2 colocalized with the mesothelial marker calretinin, implicating DOCK2 in the regulation of MesoMT. Our data also showed that DOCK2-knockout mice were protected from -induced pleural fibrosis, impaired lung compliance, and collagen deposition. To determine the involvement of DOCK2 in MesoMT, we treated primary human pleural mesothelial cells with the potent MesoMT inducer TGF-β. TGF-β significantly induced DOCK2 expression in a time-dependent manner, together with α-SMA, collagen 1, and fibronectin. Furthermore, DOCK2 knockdown significantly attenuated TGF-β-induced α-SMA, collagen 1, and fibronectin expression, suggesting the importance of DOCK2 in TGF-β-induced MesoMT. DOCK2 knockdown also inhibited TGF-β-induced Snail upregulation, which may account for its role in regulating MesoMT. Taken together, the current study provides evidence that DOCK2 contributes to the pathogenesis of pleural fibrosis by mediating MesoMT and deposition of neomatrix and may represent a novel target for its prevention or treatment.
Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Bleomycin; Disease Models, Animal; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Epithelium; Fibrosis; GTPase-Activating Proteins; Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Pleura; Pleurisy; Signal Transduction; Transforming Growth Factor beta
PubMed: 34710342
DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2021-0175OC