Intrapleural Foreign Body: Case Report.

The detection of foreign bodies in the pleural cavity is rare and mostly consequent to iatrogenic or traumatic events. The migration of an inhaled foreign body from the airways to the pleural space through a bronchopleural fistula is an exceptional event. We report a case of a pleural empyema consequent to an inhaled wooden skewer. CT scan and bronchoscopy were unable to identify the foreign body, due to its migration in the peripheral airways. The thin and pointed foreign body perforated the visceral pleural surface emerging in the pleural cavity.

Diagnostic Yield and Safety of Image-Guided Pleural Biopsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic yield (DY) and safety of computed tomography (CT)- and thoracic ultrasound (TUS)-guided biopsies in the diagnosis of pleural lesions have been investigated in a number of studies, but no synthesis of data from the literature has ever been performed. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to provide the first systematic review and meta-analysis on the DY and safety of CT- versus TUS-guided biopsy in the diagnosis of pleural lesions. METHOD: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for all studies reporting outcomes of interest published up to April 2018. Two authors reviewed all titles/abstracts and retrieved selected full text to identify studies according to predefined selection criteria. Summary estimates were derived using the random-effects model. Cumulative meta-analysis assessed the influence of increasing adoption of the procedures over time. RESULTS: Thirty original studies were included in the present review; the number of studies on TUS-guided biopsy was almost three-fold higher than those on CT-guided biopsy. The pooled DYs of the 2 procedures were overall excellent and differed <10%, being 84% for TUS-guided biopsy and 93% for CT-guided biopsy. Safety profiles were reassuring for both the techniques, being 7 and 3% for CT- and TUS-guided biopsy, respectively. DY of ultrasound technique significantly improved over time, while no time effect was observed for CT-guided biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Data show that CT- and TUS-guided biopsies in the diagnosis of pleural lesions are both excellent procedures, without meaningful differences in DYs and safety. Considering that TUS is non-ionizing and easily performed at the bedside, it should be the preferred approach in presence of adequate skills.

Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis in systemic sclerosis: prevalence and prognostic impact.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, mostly presenting as non-specific interstitial pneumonia. Little is known about the prevalence of pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE), a specific entity affecting the visceral pleura and subpleural parenchyma. We set out to estimate PPFE prevalence in two large cohorts of SSc patients and to assess its impact on survival and functional decline.A total of 359 SSc patients, derived from two referral centres in two different countries (UK and Italy), were included. The first available high-resolution computed tomography scan was independently evaluated by two radiologists blind to clinical information, to quantify ILD extent, freestanding bronchial abnormalities, and lobar percentage involvement of PPFE on a four-point categorical scale. Discordant scores were adjudicated by a third scorer. PPFE extent was further classified as limited (≤2/18) or extensive (>2/18). Results were evaluated against functional decline and mortality.The overall prevalence of PPFE in the combined SSc population was 18% (11% with extensive PPFE), with no substantial difference between the two cohorts. PPFE was significantly linked to free-standing bronchial abnormalities (61% versus 25% in PPFE versus no PPFE; p<0.0001) and to worse survival, independently of ILD severity or short-term lung function changes (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.10-3.25; p=0.005).In the current study, we provide an exhaustive description of PPFE prevalence and clinical impact in the largest cohort of SSc subjects published so far. PPFE presence should be carefully considered, due to its significant prognostic implications.