What happens to the pleural space affected by malignant effusion after bedside pleurodesis?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Evaluate radiological characteristics of postpleurodesis pleural space of patients with recurrent malignant pleural effusion(RMPE). METHODS: Prospective cohort study including patients with RPME treated with bedside pleurodesis. We used CT scans to calculate pleural cavity volume immediately before pleurodesis(iCT) and 30 days after(CT30). Radiological evolution was calculated by the difference between pleural volumes on CT30 and iCT(Δvolume). We categorized initial pleural volume as small(<500 mL) or large space(≥500 mL) and Δvolume as positive(>254.49 mL), unchanged(≥-268.77-≤ 254.49 mL), or negative(<-268.77 mL). Futhermore, we analyzed clinical effectiveness, pleural elastance, and adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 87 patients were analyzed. Pleural volume varied from 35-2750 mL in iCT and from 0-2995 mL in CT30(P = 0.753). A total of 54 patients had initial small pleural space(62.06%) and 33 large(37.93%). Clinical failure occurred in 7.4% of small space group and in 24.6% of large(P = 0.051, OR4.0(CI:1.098-14.570)). In small space group, 27.77% evolved with positive, 66.66% with unchanged and 5.55% with negative Δvolume. In the large space group these numbers were respectively 21.21%, 27.27%, and 51.51%. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant variability on pleural space volume. However, pleural volume remains unchanged in many cases. Besides that, more than half patients with initial large space coursed with relevant reduction. Finally, patients with initial small space presented a greater chance of clinical success.

Understanding Lung-RADS 1.0: A Case-Based Review.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States. The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated that low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening reduces lung cancer mortality by 20% compared to screening with chest radiography. Currently, many institutions in the US are implementing lung cancer screening programs. The use of lung-RADS as a quality assurance tool allows standardization of lung cancer screening CT lexicon, reporting and management recommendations, and reduces confusion in lung cancer screening CT interpretations. Lung-RADS will also facilitate outcome monitoring and future auditing of lung cancer screening programs, assist research, and consequently refine and improve lung cancer screening practices. Familiarity with lung-RADS version 1.0 is essential not only for radiologists interpreting low-dose computed tomography screening studies, but all medical personnel involved in multidisciplinary lung cancer screening programs. This article reviews the Lung-RADS categories and management recommendations using a case-based approach.

Aspectos tomográficos das doenças pulmonares fibrosantes / Tomographic findings in fibrotic lung diseases

O objetivo desta revisão foi detalhar os aspectos tomográficos da fibrose pulmonar idiopática e da pneumonia intersticial não específica, que representam as duas pneumonias intersticiais idiopáticas mais frequentes e estão entre as mais importantes doenças pulmonares fibrosantes. A diferenciação entre essas duas entidades tem extrema relevância na prática clínica, tendo em vista que o prognóstico associado a cada uma delas é muito distinto. Outras doenças pulmonares fibrosantes, como por exemplo, a pneumonia de hipersensibilidade crônica e o estágio final da sarcoidose, não serão discutidas nesta revisão. A fibrose pulmonar idiopática, cujo padrão morfológico é a pneumonia intersticial usual, tem sido cada vez mais reconhecida como uma doença altamente complexa, que se caracteriza por um prognóstico bastante pobre, com sobrevida média de 3-5 anos a partir de seu diagnóstico. Nesse contexto, torna-se evidente a necessidade de se firmar um diagnóstico preciso e manejar adequadamente os pacientes. A TCAR representa uma ferramenta fundamental para o diagnóstico e acompanhamento dos pacientes com fibrose pulmonar idiopática. Diante das características de imagem típicas da doença, é possível estabelecer-se o diagnóstico de fibrose pulmonar idiopática, com alto grau de confiança, mediante a correlação clínico-radiológica, sem necessidade de comprovação histológica.