Tuberculous Pericarditis-Own Experiences and Recent Recommendations.

Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) accounts for 1% of all forms of tuberculosis and for 1-2% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. In endemic regions, TBP accounts for 50-90% of effusive pericarditis; in non-endemic, it only accounts for 4%. In the absence of prompt and effective treatment, TBP can lead to very serious sequelae, such as cardiac tamponade, constrictive pericarditis, and death. Early diagnosis of TBP is a cornerstone of effective treatment. The present article summarises the authors' own experiences and highlights the current status of knowledge concerning the diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm of TBP. Special attention is drawn to new, emerging molecular methods used for confirmation of M. tuberculosis infection as a cause of pericarditis.

Large Pericardial Effusion-Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options, with a Special Attention to the Role of Prolonged Pericardial Fluid Drainage.

BACKGROUND: Large pericardial effusion (LPE) is associated with high mortality. In patients with cardiac tamponade or with suspected bacterial etiology of pericardial effusion, urgent pericardial decompression is necessary. AIM: The aim of the present retrospective study was to assess the short-term results of pericardial decompression combined with prolonged drainage in LPE. MATERIAL: This study included consecutive patients with LPE who had been treated with pericardial fluid drainage between 2007 and 2017 in the National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute. METHODS: Echocardiographic examination was used to confirm LPE and the signs of cardiac tamponade. Pericardiocentesis or surgical decompression were combined with pericardial fluid (PF) drainage. Short-term effectiveness of therapy was defined as less than 5 mm of fluid behind the left ventricular posterior wall in echocardiography. RESULTS: The analysis included 74 patients treated with pericardial fluid drainage (33 female and 41 male), mean age 58 years, who underwent pericardial decompression. Out of 74 patients, 26 presented with cardiac tamponade symptoms. Pericardiocentesis was performed in 18 patients and pericardiotomy in 56 patients. Median PF drainage duration was 13 days. In 17 out of 25 patients with neoplastic PF, intrapericardial cisplatin therapy was implemented. In 4 out of 49 patients with non-malignant PF, purulent pericarditis was recognized and intrapericardial fibrinolysis was used. Short-term effectiveness of the therapy was obtained in all of patients. Non-infective complications were noted in 16% of patients and infective ones in 10%. CONCLUSION: Pericardial decompression combined with prolonged PF drainage was safe and efficient method of LPE treatment.

Tuberculosis diagnosed by thoracic surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is frequently omitted in the diagnostic workup and may be identified accidentally following thoracic surgeries, mostly those targeting lung cancer. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics of patients who underwent thoracic surgery that resulted in the diagnosis of tuberculosis and to review lesions initially found on chest imaging in the context of the potential presence of tuberculosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed medical records of all patients hospitalized at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland, between the years 2014 and 2018 (n = 57) in whom tuberculosis was diagnosed. Two radiologists who knew the diagnosis retrospectively analyzed preprocedural chest computed tomography scans of the study patients. RESULTS: Tuberculosis was diagnosed by culture of specimens obtained during video­ assisted thoracoscopy (21 patients), thoracotomy (24 patients), mediastinoscopy (6 patients), transthoracic fine­ needle biopsy (3 patients), and transbronchial biopsy (1 patient). In the remaining 2 individuals, the diagnosis was established based on the microbiological examination of drained pleural fluid. In 42 patients (73.7%), the diagnosis of tuberculosis was unexpected to thoracic surgeons. Radiological findings suggestive of tuberculosis were present in 38 patients (66.7%). The radiologists who retrospectively analyzed the imaging records suggested tuberculosis in 31 persons (54.3%), whereas those who carried out the initial preprocedural evaluation, in 11 (19.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the study patients presented with radiological findings encountered in tuberculosis, which should have led to a less invasive diagnostic workup. This highlights the role of radiologists in the identification of the disease.

Primary Sjögren's Syndrome with two extraglandular sites involvement - case report.

Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS) is a chronic, slowly progressive inflammatory autoimmune disorder, characterised by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, leading to decrease of glandular secretion. In 40-60% of pSS patients, extraglandular disease develops. We present the case of a patient with two extraglandular sites involvement in the course of pSS manifesting with progressive respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Primary mediastinal neoplasms: a report of 1,005 cases from a single institution.

BACKGROUND: This study was an epidemiological analysis of all primary mediastinal neoplasms (PMNs) diagnosed between 2000 and 2016 at the National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute, Poland. METHODS: All patients with any mediastinal abnormality were included in the analysis. The patients' age and gender were obtained from the institutional database. RESULTS: From a cohort of 5,108 patients, 3,691 primary mediastinal lesions were found, including 1,005 (19%) PMNs: lymphomas (533, 53% of PMNs), thymomas (215, 21%), neurogenic tumors (NTs) (100, 10%), germ cell tumors (GCTs) (62, 6%), soft tissue tumors (STTs) (47, 5%) and thymic carcinomas/thymic neuroendocrine tumors (TCs/TNETs) (37 in total, 4%). The most frequent lymphomas were classical Hodgkin lymphomas [256] and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphomas [163]. Type AB [73] predominated in thymomas and squamous cell carcinomas [9] and carcinoids [10] in TCs/TNETs. NTs encompassed mainly schwannomas [49], ganglioneuromas [21] and neurofibromas [10]. The most frequent STTs were hemangiomas [13] and lymphangiomas [11]. Lymphomas, thymomas and NT were more often in women, TCs/TNETs in men (P<0.001). Lymphomas predominated between the 2nd and 4th decade of life, NTs under the 3rd decade and thymic epithelial tumors between the 6th and 8th decade (P<0.001). There was no correlation between the subtypes of thymomas and the patients' gender (P=0.389) but it was found between histology and patients' age: in patients <30 years of age type B2 and B3 thymomas and >70 years of age AB type and micronodular thymomas with lymphoid stroma (P<0.001) predominated. In the group of GCTs half of them were malignant and these were noted exclusively in men. No correlation between subtypes of NTs or TCs/TNETs and patients' age and gender was found (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PMNs are rare conditions thus awareness of basic epidemiology may be very helpful for final diagnosis.

Esophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis as a diagnostic and therapeutic problem.

The article presents the case of a 68-year-old patient with alcohol dependence syndrome, who was admitted, in serious condition, to the Department of Surgery due to esophageal intramural lesions of unclear etiology. The imaging studies showed no signs of transmural perforation of the esophageal wall. Esophagogastroscopy revealed intramural fluid reservoirs and small oval cavities with smooth edges in the esophageal mucosa. The patient was treated conservatively with parenteral nutrition and rehabilitation. Subsequently, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit because of cardiorespiratory failure. Despite adequate pharmacological treatment, the patient died.

[Purulent lung diseases necessitating surgical treatment--case reports]. / Ropne choroby pluc wymagajace leczenia chirurgicznego--opis przypadków.

Majority of purulent lung diseases are treated with antibiotics. But sometimes this therapy is not successful and surgical treatment is necessary. Two patients are described in this paper. 68 years old woman in whom infiltration in left lung enlarged during antibiotics therapy. CT examination did not allow to differentiate between abscessus and tumor. Results of bacteriologic and cytologic examination of transthoracic biopsy were negative. During thoracothomy abscessus was resected and diagnosis was confirmed by patomorphologic examination. The second case: 16-years old girl was addmitted to hospital because of high temperature and abnormal chest X-ray picture (infiltration and liquid level in lower right lobe). During puncture the pus was evacuated but bacteria were not cultured. Antibiotics were not effective. Thoracothomy was done and large cysta bronchogenes was resected. In both cases surgical treatment was effective.

Diagnosis of malignant pericarditis: a single centre experience.

BACKGROUND: Malignancy is the most common cause of effusive pericarditis with a haemodynamically significant amount of pericardial fluid. Early diagnosis and management of malignant pericarditis may significantly improve outcomes. AIM: To evaluate retrospectively the rate and clinical presentation of malignant pericarditis among patients undergoing invasive treatment, with a view to identification of optimal diagnostic modalities to distinguish this group among other patients. METHODS: We studied 191 patients (100 men and 91 women, median age 57 years, range 19-88 years) with effusive pericarditis who underwent invasive treatment in the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw in 1982- -2008 due to a significant amount of pericardial fluid and/or echocardiographic evidence of cardiac tamponade. Pericardiocentesis was performed in 93 cases, pericardioscopy in 61 cases, and substernal pericardiotomy in 37 cases. Pericardial fluid was sent for examination in all patients, and a pericardial specimen was obtained in 96 patients. The patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 included patients with malignant pericarditis (malignant cells found in the cytological examination of the pericardial fluid and/or neoplastic infiltration in the histological examination of the pericardial specimen), Group 2 included patients with probable malignant pericarditis (pericardial fluid without malignant cells with histologically confirmed malignancy at some other location), and Group 3 included patients with non-malignant pericarditis (negative cytological examination of pericardial fluid and histological examination of the pericardial specimen, with no evidence of malignancy during hospitalization and one-year follow-up). RESULTS: Malignancy was found in 111 (58%) of 191 patients, including 66 (35%) patients with definite malignant pericarditis and 45 (23%) patients with probable malignant pericarditis. Lung cancer, including adenocarcinoma, was the most common type of malignancy, present in 44 (67%) patients. Non-malignant pericarditis was found in 80 (42%) patients. Among patients with the diagnosis of malignancy (Groups 1 and 2), a positive result of the cytological examination of the pericardial fluid was obtained in 52 cases (sensitivity of 46%). Among patients without malignancy, a negative result of the cytological examination of the pericardial fluid was obtained in all 80 cases (specificity of 100%). Malignant infiltration was found in 20 of 44 patients with the diagnosis of malignancy (sensitivity of 46%) and in none among 52 patients without malignancy (specificity of 100%). Compared to patients with non-malignant pericarditis, patients with malignant pericarditis significantly more commonly presented with tachycardia of >100 bpm in a resting electrocardiogram (ECG) (in 77% of patients with malignant pericarditis vs. 43% of patients with non-malignant pericarditis, p = 0.01), low QRS amplitude (52% vs. 34%, respectively, p = 0.03), electrical alternans (19% vs. 3%, respectively, p = 0.001), echocardiographic evidence of cardiac tamponade (67% vs. 34%, respectively, p = 0.0001), enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes by chest computed tomography (CT) (90% vs. 29%, respectively, p <0.00001), pericardial thickness >8 mm by chest CT (62% vs. 16%, respectively, p <0.0001), and bloody pericardial effusion (94% vs. 43%, respectively, p <0.0001). Levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin fragment-19 (CYFRA 21-1) in the pericardial fluid were higher in patients with malignant pericarditis compared to patients with non-malignant pericarditis, with median values of 40.8 ng/mL vs. 0.9 ng/mL, p <0.0001, and 162.85 ng/mL vs. 13.35 ng/mL, p <0.0001, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Malignancy was found in 58% of patients undergoing invasive treatment due to large pericardial effusion. 2. Cytological examination of the pericardial fluid and histological examination of a pericardial specimen showed high specificity (100%) but low sensitivity (46%) in the diagnosis of malignant pericarditis. 3. The most important predictors of malignant pericarditis included tachycardia of >100 bpm as revealed by the physical examination and ECG, echocardiographic evidence of cardiac tamponade, presence of enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes (>1 cm) and thickened pericardium (>8 mm) by chest CT, bloody pericardial effusion, and elevated levels of CEA (>5 ng/mL) and CYFRA 21-1 (>50 ng/mL) in the pericardial fluid.