Clinico Pathological Correlation in Pleural Effusion

Abstract

Pleural effusion is excess fluid that accumulates between the two pleural layers, the fluid-filled space that surrounds the lungs. Excessive amounts of such fluid can impair breathing by limiting the expansion of the lungs during ventilation. The objective of this prospective study, carried out at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, was to document the clinic pathological correlations in pleural effusion. Materials And Methods: Medical records of 20 patients with pleural effusion who came to hospital and underwent thoracocentesis were collected. The collected pleural fluid was examined under microscope after H&E staining. Result: Of the 20 cases, 12 were male and 8 were female with the age ranging from 20-65 years. 19 were inflammatory effusion and 1 was non-inflammatory effusion. Of the 19 inflammatory cases 8 were admitted with chief complaint of chest pain, another 8 with dyspnoea, another 2 with hemoptysis and remaining 1 with fever. Cytology of these 19 patients shows inflammatory cells. Conclusion: This study highlights that Cytology of pleural fluid shows that most of the pleural effusion are inflammatory in origin. Chest pain and dyspnoea are the major symptoms in the patients with inflammatory pleural effusion.