Pleural Disease Flashcards
What are some clinical findings of pleural disease?
Reduced breath sounds
Stony dull on percusion
What are some possible chest X-ray findings for pleural disease?
Loss of costophrenic ange
At least 200ml of pleural fluid
Tracheal deviation
What are some possible CT findings of pleural disease?
Nodular thickening
Pleural fluid/air
Density of fluid
Localisation
When investigating pleural fluid, in terms of biochemistry, what are you looking for?
Protein
LDH
Glucose
Triglyceride
Cholesterol
Amylase
Rheumatoid factor
When investigating pleural fluid, in terms of microbiology, are you looking for?
Gram stain
AAFB
Culture
What are the 2 kinds of extracellular fluid?
Transudate
Exudate
What is tranudate?
Extracellular fluid with a low protein count, occurs due to increase hydrostatic pressure
What does transudate occur due to?
Increase hydrostatic pressure
What is exudate?
Extracellular fluid with a high protein count, occurs due to inflammation and increase capillary permeability
What does exudate occur due to?
Inflammation and increased capillary permeability
Which of tranudate and exudate has more protein?
Exudate
Which of transduate and exudate has more LDH?
Exudate
What is LDH?
Lactate dehydrogenase
What is exudate associated with?
Infection
Malignancy
Pulmonary embolism
Rheumatoid arthritis
Effusions
What is transudate associated with?
Cardiac failure
Liver failure
Renal failure
Hypoalbuminemia
Hypothyroidism
Pulmonary embolism
Malignancy
What are different kinds of biopsy that can be used to obtain a sample of pleural fluid?
Abrams pleural bipsy
Image guided biopsy
Medical thoracoscopy
VATS pleural biopsy
What does VATS stand up for?
Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery
What is a pleural effusion?
Build up of fluid between the layers of the pleura
What is a build up of fluid between the two layers of the pleura called?
Pleural effusion
When should a pleural effusion be drained?
Large
Breathless
Raised respiratory rate
Hypoxia
Tachycardia
Chest X-ray trachea deviated
Pus
Trauma
Parapneumonic
What is a parapneumonic effusion?
Type of effusion that arises as a result of a pneumonia, lung abscess or bronchiectasis
What is the prognosis of parapneumonic effusion?
Poor outcome
What percentage of pleural effusions are parapneumonic effusions?
33%
What is a type of effusion that arises as a result of a pneumonia, lung abscess or bronchiectasis called?
Parapneumonic effusion
Where should the needle go (in regards to the rib) when obtaining a sample of pleural fluid?
Above the rib to avoid the nerve bundle
What is a pneumothorax?
Collapsed lung, occurs when air leaks into the pleura
What is a collapsed lung, occuring due to air leaking into the pleura called?
Pneumothorax
What are the 2 ways that a pneumothorax can occur?
Spontaneous
Traumatic
What are different kinds of traumatic pneumothorax?
Non-iatrogenic
Iatrogenic
What does iatrogenic mean?
Illness caused by medical examination or treatment