Evaluation Of Pleural Effusion At Assiut University Hospital

Pleural Effusion

Pleural effusion is an accumulation of fluid between the tissue layers that line the lungs and chest cavity. It has an estimated prevalence of 320 per 100,000 people in industrialized countries. The cause of the pleural effusion remains unclear in a substantial percentage of patients with persistently exudative effusions.

They are classified broadly into exudative and transudative effusion based on Light's criteria. Several methods have been proposed for the identification of pleural effusion etiology including pleural fluid cytology, pleural biopsy, thoracoscopy and computerized tomography. However, these technologies have their own limitations. The diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion is a vexing problem, since pleural fluid cytology findings are positive in only 60% of cases on average. Tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can be positive in 80% of cases. Thoracoscopy will establish the diagnosis in approximately 95% of cases, but this interventional procedure may not be available at all facilities. A new approach is needed to detect the cause of undiagnosed pleural effusions. Diagnosis of idiopathic pleural effusion was made after a minimum of one year follow up with detailed exploration including computed tomographic scanning to exclude other causes of effusion such as malignant pleural effusion. Because immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is recognized as a fibroinflammatory condition of unknown cause that can affect multiple organs including the lungs and pleura, IgG4 might be related to certain idiopathic pleural effusions. The criteria of Common radiological findings of IgG4-related lung disease include hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, thickening of perilymphatic interstitium with or without subpleural and/or peribronchovascular consolidation.

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