Reporte de un caso de quilotórax tuberculoso / A case report of tuberculous chylothorax

El quilotórax tuberculoso es una patología infecciosa infrecuente, que se produce como consecuencia del bloqueo del conducto torácico. Su tratamiento está dirigido a combatir la infección tuberculosa. Se presenta el caso de un varón de 55 años de edad, chofer, natural de Trujillo-Perú, que acudió a emergencia por disnea progresiva y tos seca de cinco días de evolución. El examen físico reveló frémito vocal, matidez y murmullo vesicular disminuido en 2/3 inferiores del hemitórax izquierdo. La radiografía y ecografía torácica evidenciaron derrame pleural significativo, y la toracocentesis reveló quilotórax. Posteriormente, se colocó un tubo de drenaje torácico, con disminución progresiva del volumen del líquido pleural y cambios citoquímicos. Se realizó videobroncoscopía diagnóstica con aspirado broncoalveolar, revelando bacilos ácido-alcohol resistentes. El paciente recibió tratamiento antituberculoso, con evolución favorable. El quilotórax tuberculoso constituye una causa importante de quilotórax a considerar en zonas endémicas de tuberculosis. El tratamiento adecuado de la infección, conlleva a resolución de la enfermedad.

Tuberculous chylothorax is a rare infectious disease that occurs when the thoracic duct is obstructed. Treatment is directed to the tuberculosis infection. A 55-year-old male, driver, born in Trujillo (Peru) is admitted to the emergency department with increasing dyspnea and a 5-day dry cough. The physical examination revealed vocal fremitus, dullness to percussion, and a vesicular murmur that was decreased on the lower 2/3 of the left hemithorax. The X-ray and the thoracic ultrasound revealed significant left pleural effusion. The thoracocentesis drained fluid identified as chylothorax. Subsequently, a thoracic tube was placed, with a decrease in pleural fluid volume and later normalization of the cytochemical changes. Diagnostic video bronchoscopy was performed with a bronchoalveolar aspirate, revealing acid-fast bacilli. The patient received antituberculosis treatment with a favorable outcome. Tuberculous chylothorax is an important cause of chylothorax to be considered in endemic areas of tuberculosis. Proper treatment of the infection leads to resolution of the disease.

Rifampicin-Induced Minimal Change Disease Is Improved after Cessation of Rifampicin without Steroid Therapy

There are several reports to demonstrate that rifampicin, a major anti-tuberculosis agent, is associated with some adverse renal effects, with a few cases of rifampicin-induced minimal change disease (MCD). In the present case, a 68-year-old female presented with nausea, vomiting, foamy urine, general weakness and edema. She had been taking rifampicin for 4 weeks due to pleural tuberculosis. The patient had no proteinuria before the anti-tuberculosis agents were started, but urine tests upon admission showed heavy proteinuria with a 24-h urinary protein of 9.2 g/day, and serum creatinine, albumin, and total cholesterol levels were 1.36 mg/dL, 2.40 g/dL, and 283 mg/dL, respectively. MCD was diagnosed, and the patient achieved complete remission after cessation of rifampicin without undergoing steroid therapy.

A Rare Clinical Presentation of Primary Pulmonary Hypoplasia with Tuberculous Pleural Effusion.

Primary pulmonary hypoplasia is rare in adulthood. It is characterized by decreased number or size of bronchi, vessels and alveoli. We present a case of unilateral pulmonary hypoplasia in 44-old-year male smoker who presented with right pleural effusion. His chest X-ray revealed an inhomogenous opacity on the left side with bronchiectatic changes and right minimal pleural effusion. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed blind end bronchi in left upper lobe and computed tomography pulmonary angiography revealed hypoplastic lung with cystic bronchiectasis on the left side and hypoplastic left pulmonary artery. It was not associated with any other congenital anomalies. In addition to symptomatic management, he was started on anti-tuberculous treatment for tuberculous pleural effusion and kept under follow-up.

Parasternum pleural-cutaneous fistula in a severely immunosuppressed HIV-positive patient

Pleural tuberculosis occurs in 30 percent of patients with tuberculosis, and the percentage of patients with tuberculosis pleural effusions is comparable to human immunodeficiency virus HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals, although pleural tuberculosis is rare in HIV-positive patients with CD4+ counts < 200 cells/mm³. Pleural tuberculosis in HIV-positive patients is likely to happen in young patients, and is more frequent in intravenous drug abusers, with more acid-fast bacilli identifiable in pleural tissue. We report a rare case of pleural tuberculosis in a severely immunosuppressed HIVpositive patient, presented as two parasternum pleural-cutaneous fistula.

The Effects of Urokinase Instillation Therapy via Percutaneous Transthoracic Catheter in Loculated Tuberculous Pleural Effusion: A Randomized Prospective Study

The purpose of this study was to propose that intrapleural urokinase (UK) instillation could reduce pleural thickening in the treatment of loculated tuberculous pleural effusion. Forty- three patients who were initially diagnosed as having loculated tuberculous pleural effusion were assigned at random to receive either the combined treatment of UK instillation including anti-tuberculosis agents (UK group, 21 patients) or strictly the unaccompanied anti-tuberculous agents (control group, 22 patients). The UK group received 100, 000 IU of UK dissolved in 150 ml of normal saline daily, introduced into the pleural cavity via a pig-tail catheter. The control group was treated with anti-tuberculous agents, excepting diagnostic thoracentesis. After the cessation of treatment, residual pleural thickening (RPT) was compared between the two groups. Clinical characteristics and pleural fluid biochemistry were also evaluated. The RPT (4.59 +/-5.93 mm) of the UK group was significantly lower than that (18.6 +/-26.37 mm) of the control group (p or = 10 mm (6.0 +/- 3.4 wks) was detected to be significantly longer than in those with RPT or = 10 mm, as compared to patients with RPT< 10 mm in the UK group. These results indicate that the treatment of loculated tuberculous pleural effusion with UK instillation via percutaneous transthoracic catheter can cause a successful reduction in pleural thickening.

Relación entre los niveles de adenosina deaminasa y desarrollo de engrosamiento pleural residual en tuberculosis pleural

Introducción: el engrosamiento pleural residual (EPR) es frecuente en tuberculosis pleural (TBCP) y no es claro si puede pronosticarse con la toracentesis inicial. Objetivo: evaluar la relación entre los índices de inflación y la activación linfocitaria pleural especialmente la adenosina deaminasa (ADA) y el desarrollo de EPR en TBCP. Tipo de estudio: observacional analítico de cohorte prospectiva. Lugar de estudio: programa de tuberculosis en el hospital de referencia. Material y métodos: pacientes con diagnóstico de TBCP a quienes se les realizó toracentesis incluyendo determinación de ADA y fueron tratados y controlados sin recibir glucocorticoides. Se definió EPR con métodos radiológicos. Los datos se recolectaron en forma prospectiva. La relación entre predictores y EPR se evaluó con prueba no paranétrica con una p<0,01 de significativa. Resultados: durante 48 meses, 57 pacientes cumplieron los criterios de inclusión; el diagnóstico se realizó en 84 por ciento con biopsia pleural. Se desarrolló EPR en 33 pacientes (58 por ciento) y no hubo EPR en 24 (42 por ciento). Los valores de LDH, proteínas, porcentaje de linfocitos y concentración de glucosa fueron similares en ambos grupos. La concentración de ADA fue similar (grupo con EPR:97 más menos 48; grupo sin EPR: 106 más menos 45; p=0,48, Mann-Whitney) en los dos grupos y no se encontró un punto de corte con apropiada discriminación para pronosticar EPR. Conclusión: en este grupo de pacientes ningún hallazgo de la toracentesis inicial se relacionó con el desarrollo de EPR. Los resultados son similares a los informados por otros investigadores, pero es la primera vez que se describen para el nivel de ADA pleural

Role of steroids in tuberculous pleural effusion

A comparative study was carried out from January 1992 to June 1994 on 60 confirmed cases of tuberculous pleural effusion to evaluate the adjuvant efficacy of gluco-corticosteroids [prednisolone 0.75 mg/Kg body weight daily] for first eight weeks along with first line anti-tuberculous therapy. Thirty patients were selected for steriod therapy regardless of age, sex [except pregnant females], duration of onset, socioeconomic status, severity of the effusion, and pulmonary involvement, while thirty acted as control. The average time for resolution of symptoms was one week in the steroid group as compared to three weeks in the non-steroid group. The average time for resorption of effusion clinically was three weeks in the steroid group, but four weeks in the non-steroid group. However, on radiology the average time for resorption of effusion was four and seven weeks in the steroid and non-steroid groups respectively. Residual pleural thickening was 10% in the steroid group and 40% in the non-steroid group. Furthermore, patients in the steroid group demonstrated a much faster gain in weight and haemoglobin concentration together with a quicker reduction of the ESR. The results of the current study clearly indicate that glucocorticoids [prednisolone] when used as an adjuvant to anti-tuberculous therapy cause early improvement of general health and pleural effusion resorption besides decreasing pleural thickening and pulmonary disabilities without flaring up the disease

Derrame pleural tuberculoso: avaliacao clinica e laboratorial / Tuberculous pleural effusion: clinical and laboratory evaluation

Sao apresentados os resultados do estudo de 44 pacientes com diagnostico de derrame pleural tuberculoso. A idade media foi 35 anos. Houve predominio do sexo masculino e da raca branca. As queixas principais foram febre (41/44), dor toracica (41/44) e emagrecimento (34/44), com tempo medio de duracao de sintomas de seis semanas. Em 21 pacientes o derrame foi localizado do lado direito, em 23 no lado esquerdo e em um paciente em ambos os lados. Em 23 por cento dos pacientes foi observado acometimento do parenquima pulmonar ipsilateral. Destes, tres apresentavam cultura de escarro positiva. Foram realizadas 49 biopsias de pleura em 44 pacientes. A primeira biopsia foi diagnostica em 82,5 por cento dos pacientes. A cultura do fragmento de pleura foi positiva em 75,8 por cento e a cultura do liquido pleural em 22,5 por cento. O liquido pleural era um exsudato com uma relacao liquido pleural/sangue maior que 0,5 para proteinas e maior que 0,6 para DHL em todos os casos. O estudo citologico mostrou predominio de linfocitos e escassez de celulas mesoteliais. Os pacientes receberam esquema terapeutico adequado, apresentando boa evolucao. Houve apenas uma falha. Os pacientes apresentaram melhora significativa (p < 0,05) com relacao ao peso, hemoglobina e diminuicao de VHS. Dos 44 pacientes, 23 evoluriam...

Quimioterapia abreviada de la tuberculosis del adulto: experiencia de 3 años en el Servicio de Salud de Arica / Short chemotherapy of adult tuberculosis: 3 years experience in the Helath Service of Arica

Las tasas de mortalidad y morbilidad por Tuberculosis están disminuyendo en Chile en forma significativa a partir de 1980 con la introducción de los esquemas quimioterapéuticos abreviados. Arica tiene la mayor incidencia de TBC a nivel nacional, con más de 170 casos nuevos al año. Se comunican los resultados que se han obtenido con el esquema terapéutico de 2 meses diarios de SM, HIN, RMP, PZ, y 4 meses de SM, HIM, PZ en adminstración bisemanal, aplicado en forma operacional en 328 enfermos diagnosticados entre 1981 y 1983 en el Servicio de Salud de Arica. El noventa por ciento de los enfermos fueron inactivos, un 3,3% falleció, 15% constituyó un fracaso del tratamiento, y 4,3% abandonarón. El grado de toxicidad del regimen empleado fue escaso: 3,9%, y las recaídas a los 25 meses de seguimiento fueron de un 3%