Evaluation of 105 cases with tuberculous pleurisy

Tuberculous pleurisy has still importance in the group of exudative pleurisy. In this study we aimed to evaluate clinical, radiological, biochemical, bacteriological and histopathological findings of 105 cases with tuberculous pleurisy retrospectively, between January 1999 and December 2002. Female/male ratio was approximately 1/9 and mean age was 32.6 (range: 15-68). The common symptoms were chest pain (75.2%), cough (54.3%) and dyspnea (47.6%). In 17% cases parenchymal lesions were seen in the chest radiography while parenchymal lesions were found 52% of patients by computed tomography. Adenosine deaminase levels in pleural fluid were high in 80% of cases. PPD reactions was found positive in 84.7% of case. Sputum was studied in 52 cases. In 6 (11.5%) patients both ARB and culture were positive but in 4 (7.7%) patients was only culture positive. Pleural fluid ARB examination of all patients was negative whereas culture was positive only in 5 (5%) of patients. In two patients pleural biopsy material culture was positive for ARB. Cytological examination of pleural fluid revealed lymphocyte predominance in 81 (81%) of cases. Eighty one patients had pleural biopsy and pathologic evaluation revealed tuberculosis in 59 (73%) of them. At the end of the treatment 24 (23%) patients had pleural thickening. Pleural fluid LDH level of the patients with pleural thickening was higher than the other patients significantly (p=0.024). It is concluded that, pleural biopsy is the most effective diagnostic method for the tuberculous pleurisy and in the patient with elevated pleural LDH level, pleural thickening seems more.