Related Experiment Videos
Contralateral pleural effusion during chemotherapy for tuberculous pleurisy
Tubercle
|September 1, 1984
Summary
Tuberculous pleurisy can rarely cause effusions on the opposite side of the chest. Continued chemotherapy led to improvement, indicating the effectiveness of treatment for this rare presentation.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
- Thoracic Medicine
Background:
- Tuberculous pleurisy is a common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
- Standard chemotherapy typically involves a combination of antibiotics.
- Pleural effusions are usually localized to the affected side.
Observation:
- A 46-year-old female patient presented with a right-sided pleural effusion.
- This occurred 8 weeks after initiating left-sided tuberculous pleurisy treatment.
- The effusion developed despite standard chemotherapy.
Findings:
- Pleural biopsy revealed caseous granulomatous inflammation.
- Microscopic findings were consistent with tuberculosis.
- The patient showed clinical improvement with continued chemotherapy.
Implications:
- This case highlights a rare contralateral pleural effusion secondary to tuberculous pleurisy.
- It underscores the importance of considering tuberculosis in unexplained pleural effusions.
- Continuation of standard anti-tuberculosis treatment can be effective even in atypical presentations.