Pleural findings in a patient with persistent pulmonary effusions from systemic amyloidosis.
Persistent pleural effusions (PPE) occur in 1-2% of cases of systemic amyloidosis and have been postulated to result from direct disruption of the pleura by amyloid deposits. Patients are typically treated with percutaneous pleural drainage techniques. Pleural biopsies, done most commonly via percutaneous techniques, are infrequently obtained. The macroscopic and histologic pleural findings identified via video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for these patients are lacking in the literature. In this case, we present the macroscopic and microscopic pleural findings in a patient who had VATS for the aetiologic diagnosis of PPE. The diagnosis of systemic amyloidosis was made from histologic analysis of the pleural biopsy.
Department of Family Medicine, David Grant Medical Center, Travis AFB, California 94535, USA. katherine.mansalis@us.af.mil
Katherine A
KA
Mansalis
David A
DA
Klein
Steven D
SD
Demartini
Jessica F
JF
Powers
Daren S
DS
Danielson
D000368:Aged; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D010994:Pleura / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted