Sunday 24 November 2013

Pleural disease – Pleural effusion – The Diagnosis

The pleura is a thin tissue covered by a layer of cells (mesothelial cells) that surrounds the lungs and lines the inside of the chest wall.
B. Pleural effusion
It is a condition of collection of fluid within the pleural cavity as a result of heart failure, bleeding (hemothorax), infections, excessive or decreased fluid volume, etc.
B.4.1. Diagnosis According to Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, England, in most diseases related to pleural effusion, the fluid analysis yields important diagnostic information, and in certain cases, fluid analysis alone is enough for diagnosis. The many important characteristics of pleural fluid are described, as are other complementary investigations that can assist with the diagnosis of common and rare pleural effusions(55a)
If you are experience some of the above symptoms, after recording the family history and a complete physical examination, including the examination of the chest, listening to the heart and lungs and tapping on the chest, etc., the tests which your doctor orders may include
1. Chest X-ray
The aim of chest X ray is to investiagte the presence of the fuild. If the fuild is found, lateral decubitus is necessary ot comfirm the disease. According to the study, the Of the 83 patients in whom adequate erect postoperative radiographs were available, 9 (11%) had effusions confirmed by lateral decubitus radiographs(55).
2. Chest Ultrasound
The aim of the test is only to comfirm the presence of the fluid but locate them. According to the study by the China Medical University Hospital, portable chest ultrasound examination and ultrasound-guided thoracentesis in febrile MICU patients are safe, feasible, and useful methods for diagnosing thoracic empyema. Our results suggest that only some sonographic patterns of pleural effusion (homogeneously echogenic, complex nonseptated and relatively hyperechoic, and complex septated) deserve aggressive assessment and rapid management(56).
3. CT scan
CT not only comfirm the presence and location of the fluid, but also the potential cause of the effusion. In the study of Whole-lung CT performed to Acute Lung Injury patients during two breath-holding pressures (5 and 45 cm H2O). Two levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (5 and 15 cm H2O). indicated that Pleural effusion volume was determined on each CT scan section; respiratory system mechanics, gas exchange, and hemodynamics were measured at 5 and 15 cm H2O positive end-expiratory pressure. In 60 patients, elastances of lung and chest wall were computed, and lung and chest wall displacements were estimated(57).
4. Thoracentesis
The aim of the test is to sample the fluid to comfirm the diagnosis by mearsuring the ration of of protein concentration in the pleural effusion and comparing it to the protein concentration in the blood stream, lactate dehydrogenase, ection, tumor, etc.. According to the study by the Children’s Hospital, University of Florence,, there is a report of a case of an 840 g infant developed a rapid onset of shock-like symptoms. Pericardial and pleural effusions from an indwelling central catheter were diagnosed via echocardiography. A thoracentesis was promptly performed with immediate clinical improvement. The fluid withdrawn from the pleural space was analysed as hyperalimentation(58).
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Back to Kyle J. Norton Home page http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca Sources
(55a) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21362716
(56) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15486393
(57) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23385101
(58) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15078382

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