title: Prognostic role of incidental pleural effusion diagnosed during echocardiographic evaluation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term prognostic implications of incidental pleural effusion (PE) detected during echocardiographic examination and its relationship with concomitant diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study hypothesis is to test whether incidental pleural PE detected during echocardiographic examination be used as a prognostic marker.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed by evaluating patient records (N = 251) in whom PE was incidentally detected during echocardiographic examination in a tertiary hospital between 1999 and 2012. The patients were classified into 4 major groups according to the concomitant primary disease: malignancy, and cardiovascular, renal, and pulmonary diseases. The total survival time was obtained from hospital records for patients who died during the hospital stay and social security institution records for patients with out-of-hospital death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-year and 5-year life expectancies of PE cases concomitant with different disorders were as follows; heart failure (n = 151), 81% and 70%; malignancies (n = 45), 53% and 44%; pulmonary diseases (n = 37), 89% and 78%; renal diseases (n = 18), 100% and 83%; respectively. PE associated with heart failure, renal disease, and pulmonary disease had similar (P > 0.05 for all) and favorable outcomes compared to PE associated with malignancies (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prognosis of incidental PE was the worst in patients with concomitant malignancies; however, PE associated with nonmalignant diseases including heart failure, pulmonary disease, and renal disease have similar and favorable outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Suleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ercan
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Davutoglu
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Altunbas
authors.forename: Ibrahim Halil
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Inanc
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Muhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oylumlu
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koç
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuce
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soydinc
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013997:Time Factors