This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (11)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related letter  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Bacterial Infections  • Tuberculosis/ Other Mycobacterium  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Arch Intern Med. 1998;158:1967-1968.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

TUBERCULOUS PLEURITIS continues to occur throughout the world. Indeed, in many countries, including Spain¹ and many African countries, tuberculosis is the leading cause of pleural effusions. Even in the United States, tuberculosis is responsible for a significant percentage of pleural effusions. When a patient with an exudative pleural effusion is evaluated, it is important to rule out the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis. If a patient with tuberculous pleuritis is not treated, the pleural effusion will usually resolve spontaneously. The patient, however, has a high likelihood (approximately 65%) of developing pulmonary or extrapulmonary tuberculosis within the subsequent 5 years.²

How is the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis best made? For the past 40 years, the most common way to establish the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis has been via needle biopsy of the pleura. However, in recent years, 3 tests that can be performed on pleural fluid have been developed that are useful . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Richard W. Light, MD
Saint Thomas Hospital
Vanderbilt University
Department of Pulmonary Diseases
4220 Harding Rd
Nashville, TN 37202

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

RELATED LETTER

Being Sensitive to the Specifics of Predictive Values in the Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleuritis
Robert J. Nardino, Stephen A. Atlas, and Richard W. Light
Arch Intern Med. 1999;159(12):1370.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

RELATED ARTICLE

Tuberculous Pleurisy: A Study of 254 Patients
Luis Valdés, David Álvarez, Esther San José, Pedro Penela, José Manuel Valle, José Manuel García-Pazos, Javier Suárez, and Antonio Pose
Arch Intern Med. 1998;158(18):2017-2021.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Diagnostic Value of Interferon-{gamma} in Tuberculous Pleurisy: A Metaanalysis
Jiang et al.
Chest 2007;131:1133-1141.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Prevalence of Pulmonary Parenchymal Tuberculosis in Patients With Tuberculous Pleuritis
Kim et al.
Chest 2006;129:1253-1258.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Adenosine Deaminase in the Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleural Effusion: Is It Really an Ideal Test? A Word of Caution
Laniado-Laborin
Chest 2005;127:417-418.
FULL TEXT  

Tumor Markers in Undiagnosed Pleural Effusions
Light
Chest 2004;126:1721-1722.
FULL TEXT  

Being Sensitive to the Specifics of Predictive Values in the Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleuritis
Nardino et al.
Arch Intern Med 1999;159:1370-1370.
FULL TEXT  

Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleurisy
JWatch Infect. Diseases 1998;1998:21-21.
FULL TEXT