Backgroud: Traditionally, tuberculous pleurisy has been known to largely develop as primary tuberculosis. However, as the incidence of tuberculosis decrease, recent studies have shown reactivation tuberculosis has become the main cause of tuberculous pleurisy. Methods: 141 cases of tuberculous pleurisy, between January 2003 and February 2006, at the Dankook university hospital. were retrospectively studied. The patients were divided into primary and reactivation tuberculosis. based on the history and radiological characteristics, and the clinical, radiological characteristics at the time of diagnosis and residual pleural thickening after 6 month of chemotherapy were compared between the two groups. Results: 1. Of the 141 tuberculous pleurisy cases, in 135 it was possible to differentiate between primary and reactivation tuberculosis. 2. Of the 135 tuberculous pleurisy cases, 38 (28%) showed a primary tuberculosis pattern, and 98 (72%) showed a reactivation tuberculosis pattern. 3. There were no significant differences between primary and reactivation tuberculosis in relation to age, sex, duration of symptom, amount of pleural effusion, pleural fluid WBC, lymphocyte count, and level of protein, LDH and ADA at the time of diagnosis 4. 124 patients were followed for 6 months after diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy, and there was no significant difference in the residual pleural thickening between primary and reactivation tuberculosis. Conclusion: In South Korea, a reactivation disease is currently a more common cause of tuberculous pleurisy than a primary disease. There was no difference in the clinical characteristics between primary and reactivation tuberculosis. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 526-532)
Background: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of self-efficacy promoting pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: thirty six patients, with clinically stable COPD were randomly assigned: 18 to a rehabilitation group and another 18 as a control group, The subjects participated in a the self-efficacy promoting pulmonary rehabilitation program for 8 weeks. This program consisted of education, breathing retraining, exercise training, relaxation and counseling. The control group received education only. The outcome variables were self-efficacy, dyspnea, exercise endurance, pulmonary function, and quality of life. Dyspnea was measured using the modified Borg scale. Exercise endurance was measured by the six minute walking distance. The quality of life was measured by the quality of life index for pulmonary disease patients. Results: In the rehabilitation group after performing the self-efficacy promoting pulmonary rehabilitation program, the self-efficacy score, exercise endurance, and quality of life score were higher than the control group (p=0.007, p=0.038, and p=0.039, respectively). and the exertional dyspnea score was significantly lower than controls(p=0.045). However, the dyspnea score and FEV1 were similar after performing the self-efficacy promoting pulmonary rehabilitation program. Conclusion: The self-efficacy promoting pulmonary rehabilitation program is effective to in improve self-efficacy, exertional dyspnea, exercise endurance and quality of life in patients with COPD. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 533-546)
Background: Liquid-based cytology is currently known as an effective method, and cervical cytology has been shown to be especially effective from of malignancy detection. In our study, the cytological detection rates of the Thinprep (Liquid-based cytology) and conventional cytology (bronchial washing & brushing) for endobronchial lesions were compared. Methods: Between July 2005 and September 2005, the data from 30 patients with respiration symptom, who had shown abnormal lesion on bronchoscopy, were collected. Results: The bronchoscopic biopsy group was consisted of 30 cytodiagnosis specimens, 24 of which were confirmed to be malignant. The others were tuberculosis (4), bronchiectasis and bronchopulmonary fistula (1 each). Of the 24 malignant case, cancer or atypical cells were detected in 19, 17 and 12 of the Thinprep, brushing cytology and washing cytology cases, respectively. None one of the methods detected cancer cells in the non-malignant specimens. Washing cytology has shown sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 50, 100, 100 and 33.3% respectively. Brushing cytology has shown sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 70.8, 100, 100 and 46.2%, respectively. Thinprep has shown sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 79.2, 100, 100 and 54%, respectively. Conclusions: Thinprep (liquid-based cytology) showed better sensitivity and negative predictive values for the evaluation of lung cancer than conventional cytology. However a large-scale study will be needed in the future. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 547-553)
Fat embolism syndrome is a rare clinical diagnosis of dyspnea with acute respiratory failure and neurological signs caused by a traumatic long bone fracture. We report a case of fat embolism in a 22 year-old man after a traffic accident. Dyspnea and stuporous mental changes developed on the 1st day after the external fixation operation of a left metaphyseal femur fracture. On the following day, he was transferred from a hospital to this one because of acute respiratory failure. After recovery, macrophages with fat droplets were found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid 1. It is important to diagnose a fat embolism as the correct cause of acute respiratory failure through the BAL in the acute state of fat embolism syndrome It is believed that clinically apparent or sometimes hidden fat embolism syndrome can be diagnosed from the BAL during the recovery state. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 562-566)
Endobronchial foreign bodies are difficult to diagnose as the cause of obstructive pneumonia and atelectasis, However, once discovered, they can generally be removed, leading to an immediate and dramatic resolution of the symptoms. Occasionally, small foreign bodies that lodge in the peripheral airway are often initially asymptomatic but become symptomatic several years later. We reported a case of obstructive pneumonia and massive hemoptysis caused by a foreign metallic body. The patient knew that the foreign body was lodged in the peripheral airway on the chest X-ray, but did not want treatment. Several years later, he had a massive hemoptysis and obstructive pneumonia. Removal with a flexible bronchoscope failed, but the metallic foreign body was self-expectorated by coughing after the procedure. The pneumonia was resolved after removing the foreign body. The patient improved and was discharged without any sequela. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 567-572)
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFPS) is a locally aggressive skin tumor with a very low incidence in the general population. This tumor has a remarkable tendency to recur, However, a metastasis is rare. We report a case of DFPS with a pulmonary metastasis in 28-year-old man. The pulmonary metastasis developed 5 years after a complete resection of the primary skin tumor. We reviewed the clinical manifestations and treatment of DFPS, and highlight the need for a long-term follow-up examination for metastases after a wide excision of these lesions. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 573-577)
A primary choriocarcinoma of the lung is extremely rare, and difficult to distinguish from a metastatic choriocarcinoma considering that the lung is also one of the most frequent sites of metastasis. We report a 28-year-old woman patient who was initially misdiagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and was operated on under the impression of an unidentified malignancy of the lung, which was finally proven to be a choriocarcinoma of the lung. A pelvic examination by a gynecologist, pelvic magnetic resonance imaging and whole body fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography was performed in order to rule out a metastatic choriocarcinoma of the lung. After a curative operation, her serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) level, which was highly elevated in the initial evaluation, had decreased dramatically to the normal range. She is currently being followed up regularly without any evidence of recurrence or elevation of her β-HCG level. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 578-584)
Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are abnormal direct communications between the pulmonary arteries and veins. PAVMs may occur as either an isolated abnormality or in association with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, also called Osler-Weber-Rendu disease. The topic of PAVM has recently been extensively reviewed, but little is known about the clinical characteristics and course of patients having a diffuse pattern of the disease. Herein, is reported a case of unilateral diffuse PAVM in an 18 year old female patient, who underwent a right pneumonectomy, under a video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) approach, as the diffuse small pulmonary arteriovenous malformation involved the whole right lung. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 585-590)
We report a case of pulmonary adenocarcinoma complicated by the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) following adjuvant chemotherapy. A 51-year-old woman with stage IIIA adenocarcinoma received left lower lobe lobectomy in July, 2006. And then combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel and cisplatin was given to the patient. In five days after completion of second cycle of the chemotherapy, she visited emergency room because of general weakness and seizure. Her brain MRI was shown to be no evidence of brain metastasis. Serum sodium, urine and plasma osmolarities were 117mEq/L, 589 and 244mOsm/kg, respectively. She was improved with fluid restriction. Although occurrence of SIADH following chemotherapy is rare, physician should give an attention the potential for development of SIADH in the course of chemotherapyin non-small cell lung cancer patient. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 591-594)