Diseases of the Pleura Flashcards
What can cause tension pneumothorax?
Stab wound, MVA, rib fracture
Tension pneumothorax results in compression atelectasis with a mediastinal shift away from the affected lung (TRUE/FALSE)?
FALSE (no shift)
What is an emphysematous bleb?
A blister or air pocket on the lung that pops that may cause lung collapse
What is tension pneumothorax?
Leakage of air in the pleural cavity between the visceral and parietal pleura
What is pneumothorax?
Air in the pleural cavity
What is the cause of traumatic pneumothorax?
Perforating chest wound (stab or rib fracture/MVA), therapeutic aspiration of fluid, lung biopsies
What type of atelectasis does pneumothorax cause? Is there a mediastinal shift?
Compression, no shift
Patient presents to the ER after a motor vehicle accident with severe dyspnea and pain on the right side of his chest. What type of pneumothorax is this describing?
Traumatic pneumothorax
What can cause spontaneous pneumothorax?
Emphysema, asthma, tuberculosis, abscess, emphysematous blebs
18 year old male patient reports to his lab instructor that he thinks his lung has collapsed. He states he has had this happen to him before due to a lung blister. What type of pneumothorax is this?
Spontaneous pneumothorax
Absence of breath sounds on the affected side is indicative of what?
Atelectasis of a lung
What will a chest radiograph show in a patient with pneumothorax?
Collapse of the lung on the side of pain and a large collection of air in the pleural space
What condition can cause a serofibrinous pleural effusion in the lungs?
Inflammation in adjacent lung
Patient presents with right sided chest pain. Auscultation reveals a pleural friction rub that sounds scratchy. What is the likely diagnosis. What may have caused it?
Serofibrinous exudate pleural effusion caused by inflammation in an adjacent lung
What is empyema?
Pus in the pleural space
A suppurative inflammation will have what characteristics?
High protein, high cell, high specific gravity
A serofibrinous exudate will have what unique characteristic?
Clotting factors and pleural friction rub
Patient presents with right sided chest pain. He has been fighting bronchopneumonia for two weeks now. Aspiration of the pleural cavity on the right side reveals a fluid with high specific gravity, high protein, and high cells. What is the likely diagnosis?
Suppurative (empyema) pleural effusion
What is hydrothorax? What commonly causes it?
Transudate in the pleural cavity caused by congestive heart failure, kwashiorkor, and nephrotic syndrome
A 17 year old female patient presents to the ER with left sided chest pain. She is gaunt with a distended abdomen. She reveals that she is a vegan and considers spicy sweet chili Doritos as her protein of choice. Aspiration of the pleural cavity of the left lung revealed a fluid with low specific gravity and low cells. What is the diagnosis?
Hydrothorax (transudate) pleural effusion
Congestive heart failure can cause what kind of pleural effusion?
Hydrothorax
Nephrotic syndrome and kwashiakor can cause what kind of pleural effusion?
Hydrothorax
What is hemothorax?
Blood in the pleural cavity
What can cause hemothorax?
Ruptured aortic aneurysm or trauma
What is chylothorax? What can cause it?
Lymph obstruction causing a transudate effusion of the pleural cavity often due to obstruction by a tumor
What is the radiographic sign of a pleural effusion?
Meniscus sign
What is the main cause of malignant mesothelioma?
Asbestos
Asbestos has a short latency period (TRUE/FALSE)?
FALSE
What cells are present in an epithelioid mesothelioma?
Cuboidal, columnar, or flattened cells resembling adenocarcinoma
What cells are present in a sarcomatoid mesothelioma (mesenchymal type)?
Spindle cell sarcoma resembling fibrosarcoma
