Evaluation Of Pleural Effusion At Assiut University Hospital

Assiut University

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Pleural Effusion

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Immunoglobulin G4

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03260088

PLEFF

Details and patient eligibility

About

Pleural effusion is an accumulation of fluid between the tissue layers that line the lungs and chest cavity. It has an estimated prevalence of 320 per 100,000 people in industrialized countries. The cause of the pleural effusion remains unclear in a substantial percentage of patients with persistently exudative effusions.

Full description

They are classified broadly into exudative and transudative effusion based on Light's criteria.

Several methods have been proposed for the identification of pleural effusion etiology including pleural fluid cytology, pleural biopsy, thoracoscopy and computerized tomography. However, these technologies have their own limitations.

The diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion is a vexing problem, since pleural fluid cytology findings are positive in only 60% of cases on average. Tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can be positive in 80% of cases.

Thoracoscopy will establish the diagnosis in approximately 95% of cases, but this interventional procedure may not be available at all facilities.

A new approach is needed to detect the cause of undiagnosed pleural effusions. Diagnosis of idiopathic pleural effusion was made after a minimum of one year follow up with detailed exploration including computed tomographic scanning to exclude other causes of effusion such as malignant pleural effusion.

Because immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is recognized as a fibroinflammatory condition of unknown cause that can affect multiple organs including the lungs and pleura, IgG4 might be related to certain idiopathic pleural effusions.

The criteria of Common radiological findings of IgG4-related lung disease include hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, thickening of perilymphatic interstitium with or without subpleural and/or peribronchovascular consolidation.

Enrollment: 1 estimated patient

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All patients with exudative pleural effusion admitted to Assiut university hospital in period of October 2017 to October 2018

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with transudative pleural effusion

Trial design

1 participants in 1 patient group

patients with pleural effusion

Description:

In patients with pleural effusion that remains undiagnosed with common diagnostic algorithm, immunoglobulin G4 will be done in pleural fluid

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Immunoglobulin G4