title: Bilateral dissemination of malignant pleural mesothelioma via iatrogenic buffalo chest: a rare route of disease progression.
abstract: Buffalo chest refers to the pleuro-pleural communication that results in a single pleural cavity. Iatrogenic buffalo chest can occur following heart or heart-lung transplantation and other major thoracic surgeries. We present the case of malignant pleural mesothelioma in which iatrogenic buffalo chest after extended thymectomy caused bilateral pneumothoraces and contralateral dissemination of the disease. The free communication between bilateral pleural cavities had facilitated the rapid progression of tumor and the consequent bilateral malignant pleural effusions had made the management of disease much more difficult, leading to the early fatal outcome. To our knowledge, this is the first case of buffalo chest that was associated with bilateral malignant pleural effusions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tenri Hospital, 200 Mishima-cho, Tenri, Nara 632-8552, Japan. koikezoe@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikezoe
authors.forename: Eisaku
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Kiminobu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanizawa
authors.forename: Seishu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shindo
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noma
authors.forename: Yoichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobashi
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taguchi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000209:etiology; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology; D013934:Thymectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome