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Biomedical subjects

S A Sahn

Publications and source records attributed to S A Sahn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Thoracic endometriosis syndrome: new observations from an analysis of 110 cases.

PURPOSE: To determine the demographics, clinical presentations, pathological findings, and the effectiveness of treatment in 110 patients with thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES). METHODS: Retrospective analysis based on data published in the English medical literature. RESULTS: The mean age at presentation of TES was 35 +/- 0.6 years (+/- standard error of the mean) with a range from 15 to 54. The trends of age-specific incidence for pelvic endometriosis and TES were similar. The peak incidence for pelvic endometriosis occurred between 24 and 29 years, whereas the peak incidence for TES was between 30 and 34 years. Pneumothorax was the most common presentation, occurring in 80 of 110 (73%), followed by hemothorax in 15 (14%), hemoptysis in 8 (7%), and lung nodules in 7 (6%). The right hemithorax was involved in more than 90% of all manifestations except for nodules. Hemothorax was more often associated with presence of pleural and pelvic endometriosis compared with other manifestations (P < 0.003, P < 0.02). Compared with hormonal treatment, surgical pleurodesis resulted in low recurrence rate for pneumothorax or hemothorax among patients treated with danazol or oral contraceptives. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between the presence of pelvic endometriosis and TES, with the latter occurring approximately 5 years later. Pneumothorax is the most common manifestation. The most plausible explanation for pathogenesis involves peritoneal-pleural movement of endometrial tissue through diaphragmatic defects and microembolization through pelvic veins. Diagnosis is established on clinical grounds in most cases. Surgical pleural abrasion is superior to hormonal treatment in the long-term management of pneumothorax. Earlier diagnosis and effective therapy of TES can decrease the morbidity of this disease in women during their reproductive period.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The pleural space and organ transplantation.

Pleural disease both before and after organ transplantation has important implications. Pleural effusions are common in candidates for heart, liver, and kidney transplantation. A thoracentesis is not mandatory in these patients, but it should be performed if clinical or radiologic features suggest that the effusion is not the result of organ failure. Posttransplant pleural infections and pleural PTLD relate to the level and duration of immunosuppression and are probably not organ-specific. Organ-specific pleural complications include pleural effusion from hepatic venoocclusive disease, spontaneous pneumothorax associated with obstructive airway disease from chronic GVHD after bone marrow transplantation, and early pleural effusion from urinothorax and late effusion from perirenal lymphocele years after kidney transplantation. The treatment of pleural disease in potential lung transplant candidates should minimize the extent of pleurodesis. Pleural effusions are expected sequelae after lung transplantation, and they may be harbingers of acute rejection. Interpleural communication, an expected finding after heart-lung transplantation or double-lung transplantation with a "clamshell" incision, has therapeutic implications.

Graft Rejection↗
PubMed1996

Postcardiac injury syndrome. An immunologic pleural fluid analysis.

The postcardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) is characterized by inflammation of the pericardium, pleura, and pulmonary parenchyma following a variety of cardiac injuries. Although it has been clinically recognized for decades, confirmation of the syndrome has been problematic owing to lack of a sufficiently diagnostic test. Previously, we have reported pleural fluid characteristics which help to exclude other diagnoses that may mimic the syndrome. We describe the first immunologic assessment, including antimyocardial antibody testing, of pleural fluid from a patient with PCIS which supports a local immunologic mechanism in the pathogenesis of the syndrome. These results support the important role of pleural fluid analysis in the diagnosis of PCIS.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Pleural effusions following lung transplantation. Time course, characteristics, and clinical implications.

The time course and characteristics of ipsilateral pleural effusion in nine consecutive single lung transplant recipients are described and compared with those of six patients who underwent other cardiothoracic operations. Ipsilateral pleural fluid occurs in all lung transplant recipients, beginning immediately following transplantation and continuing for up to 9 days. Pleural fluid immediately after lung transplantation is bloody, exudative, and neutrophil predominant, which is similar to the characteristics of pleural fluid following other cardiothoracic surgery. Pleural fluid cellularity, lactate dehydrogenase, and total protein content decrease rapidly over the first week in lung transplant recipients. The percentage of neutrophils decreases from 90 to 50% by day 7. Pleural fluid output in lung transplant recipients declines steadily during the first week and is minimal by day 9. Pleural fluid output declines more rapidly in patients who have undergone cardiothoracic surgery than in the lung transplant recipients. An early rise in pleural fluid output may reflect the development of posttransplant pulmonary edema. We conclude that it is unnecessary to analyze pleural fluid after lung transplantation if the pleural fluid output is decreasing and the clinical course is appropriate.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Effects of intrapleural heparin or urokinase on the extent of tetracycline-induced pleural disease.

Extravascular fibrin deposition is common at sites of pleural injury and has been related to loculation of pleural fluids. Although thrombolytic therapy has been used to treat pleural loculations, it has not been compared with pleural administration of anticoagulant therapy. We therefore tested interventional strategies designed to compare the relative effects of in vivo anticoagulation or supplemented fibrinolysis on pleural injury, and to characterize the local tissue responses to these modalities. Early intrapleural instillation of saline (Group 1), heparin 1,000 IU (Group 2), or urokinase (uPA) 1,500 IU (Group 3) every 12 h for 3 d was used to interrupt pleural adhesion formation and pleural fibrosis induced by tetracycline hydrochloride in rabbits. Procoagulant and fibrinolytic activities were determined in pleural effusion samples obtained serially every 12 h after the last administered intrapleural dose. Pleural fluid procoagulant activity was blocked by intrapleural heparin (p < 0.001), but plasminogen-dependent fibrinolytic activity was rarely increased by intrapleural urokinase. Most plasminogen activator activity in the pleural fluids was found at high-molecular-weight regions by enzymography, suggesting that it was bound to inhibitor(s). Pathologic analysis at 14 d demonstrated that the number of pleural adhesions in the heparin (8.4 +/- 3.4, mean +/- standard error) and uPA groups (6.1 +/- 2.5) was less than in saline-treated tetracycline controls (20.7 +/- 4.7) (both p < 0.02). Visceral pleural thickness did not differ between groups (p = NS). We conclude that intrapleural heparin or uPA are equally effective in decreasing intrapleural adhesions in tetracycline-induced pleural injury. The data indicate that early anticoagulation or fibrinolytic intervention can attenuate subsequent pleural symphysis in this model.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Sterilization of talc for pleurodesis. Available techniques, efficacy, and cost analysis.

Although talc has been used as a pleurodesis agent since 1935, a sterilization protocol has not been established. We obtained USP asbestos-free talc from six different suppliers and sterilized each using dry heat, gamma irradiation, and ethylene oxide gas. Aerobic, anaerobic, and fungal cultures were obtained prior to sterilization, and 1, 30, and 90 days after sterilization. Bacillus species were cultured from all six unsterilized specimens and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus grew from two unsterilized specimens. No growth of organisms was found following any method of sterilization. The cost of sterilization per 5-g packet of talc was $4.74, $7.85, and $16.25 for heat, ethylene oxide, and gamma irradiation, respectively. In conclusion, untreated talc is not sterile. Sterilization by prolonged dry heat exposure, ethylene oxide gas, and gamma irradiation are all effective, with dry heat being the least expensive.

Ethylene Oxide↗
PubMed1995

Empyema thoracis. Therapeutic management and outcome.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We evaluated treatment and outcome of patients with thoracic empyema at a teaching institution. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective chart review over a 44-month period at a university hospital. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Charts of patients with a hospital discharge diagnosis of thoracic empyema were reviewed. Age, symptoms, alcohol use, empyema etiology, culture results, number of loculations, date and success of each procedure, length of hospital stay, and hospital discharge status were recorded for each patient. Success of procedure, recovery time, time between procedures, and total hospitalization time were compared between procedures and between subgroups. RESULTS: Charts from 43 patients were reviewed. Twenty-four of 43 (56%) cases were parapneumonic empyemas. Forty of 43 (93%) patients had symptoms attributable to their empyema, with fever being the most common (65%). Seventy-nine procedures were needed to treat the 43 patients (1.84 procedures per patient). Success rates ranged from 11% (3/27) for tube thoracostomy to 95% (21/22) for decortication (p = 0.0001). Delay between procedures averaged 6.2 +/- 1.1 (mean +/- SEM) days between the first and second procedure (n = 27), and 10.4 +/- 5.1 days between the second and third procedure (n = 8). Mean recovery after successful intervention ranged from 9 to 19.3 days depending on the procedure (p = NS). Comparisons between multiloculated and uniloculated empyemas, parapneumonic and nonparapneumonic empyemas, and culture proven and biochemically proven empyemas showed no significant difference in procedure success rates or length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Multiple therapeutic options exist for the treatment of thoracic empyema. Optimal therapy requires selection of the most appropriate first procedure for each patient with early postprocedure imaging to avoid inordinate delays between interventions.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1995

Talc slurry pleurodesis. Pleural fluid and histologic analysis.

Although talc slurry pleurodesis is effective for control of malignant pleural effusions and recurrent pneumothorax, the mechanisms of pleurodesis remain incompletely defined. We instilled 70 mg/kg of sterile asbestos-free talc slurry into the pleural space of New Zealand white rabbits and studied the inflammatory response at 1, 2, 3, 7, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days by observing pleural fluid and histologic characteristics. Talc slurry caused mesothelial denudement and an exudative neurotrophilic pleural effusion that resolved after 48 h. A transient mononuclear vasculitis was seen within the lung at 1, 2, and 3 days after instillation. Pleural adhesions were minimal and did not increase in number over time. Talc was found outside of the pleural space in mediastinal lymph nodes (4 of 23 animals examined), kidney (1 of 6), and spleen (4 of 10). The predominant cause of pleurodesis with talc slurry instillation is an acute pleural injury similar to the tetracycline class agents.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Pleural effusions in hospitalized patients receiving long-term hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence, causes, and clinical features of pleural effusions in hospitalized patients receiving long-term hemodialysis. DESIGN: Retrospective. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred patients receiving hemodialysis for at least 3 months with pleural effusion hospitalized at the Medical University of South Carolina hospitals. RESULTS: The incidence of pleural effusions in hospitalized patients receiving long-term hemodialysis was 21%. The mean (+/- SEM) age was 55 +/- 1.4 years and the male to female and black to white ratios were 3:2. Pleural effusions resulted from heart failure in 46% and nonheart failure causes in 54%. Uremic pleurisy (n = 16), parapneumonic effusion (n = 15), and atelectasis (n = 11) accounted for most of the nonheart failure causes of pleural effusions. Three of 15 (20%) parapneumonic effusions were empyemas. The presence of chest pain was not different in patients with parapneumonic effusions than in other patients with nonheart failure effusion (all p = NS) but was more frequent compared to those with heart failure (p = 0.006). Patients with parapneumonic effusions (p = 0.0006) and atelectasis (p = 0.003) were more likely to have unilateral pleural effusions than patients with heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural effusions are common in hospitalized patients receiving chronic hemodialysis. Although heart failure was the most common cause, other diseases were responsible for most of the effusions. The presence of a unilateral effusion suggests a diagnosis other than heart failure, most commonly parapneumonic effusion or atelectasis and deserves prompt thoracentesis as these effusions often cannot be reliably differentiated clinically. The reduced humoral and cellular immunity, in addition to delay in diagnosis because of an attenuated clinical response, may explain the high rate of empyemas in this study population.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1994

Chemical pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusions.

PURPOSE: To provide information about available agents for chemical pleurodesis. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search (1966 to October 1992) was conducted using the terms malignant pleural effusion and pleurodesis. STUDY SELECTION: All articles containing references to patients with recurrent, symptomatic, malignant pleural effusions treated with chemical pleurodesis were selected and reviewed for pleurodesis regimen, number of patients treated, success rate (complete response), and adverse effects. The agents studied included doxycycline, minocycline, tetracycline, bleomycin, cisplatin, doxorubicin, etoposide, fluorouracil, interferon-beta, mitomycin-c, Corynebacterium parvum, methylprednisolone, and talc. DATA EXTRACTION: Independent extraction by three observers. RESULTS: Studies including a total of 1168 patients with malignant pleural effusions were reviewed for efficacy of the pleurodesis agent and studies including 1140 patients were reviewed for toxicity. Chemical pleurodesis produced a complete response in 752 (64%) of 1168 patients. The success rate of the pleurodesis agents varied from 0% with etoposide to 93% with talc. Corynebacterium parvum, the tetracyclines, and bleomycin had success rates of 76%, 67%, and 54%, respectively. The most commonly reported adverse effects were pain (265 of 1140, 23%) and fever (220 of 1140, 19%). CONCLUSIONS: Doxycycline and minocycline, with success rates of 72% and 86%, respectively, appear to be effective tetracycline-replacement agents in the few patients studied. Talc appears to be the most effective and least expensive agent; however, insufflation has the disadvantages of the expense of thoracoscopy and the usual need for general anesthesia. Bleomycin appears to be less effective than talc and the tetracyclines and is substantially more expensive.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1994

Endobronchial HIV associated lymphoma.

A 27 year old HIV infected man presented with two days of haemoptysis. Flexible bronchoscopy revealed a large carinal mass partially obstructing the left and right main stem bronchi. Rigid bronchoscopy was required to make the diagnosis of large cell immunoblastic lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Opportunistic infection during treatment with low dose methotrexate.

Two patients receiving low dose methotrexate, one with rheumatoid arthritis and the other with pityriasis rubra pilaris, developed disseminated histoplasmosis and Mycobacterium avium intracellulare pneumonia, respectively. Twenty-three cases of opportunistic infection in patients receiving low dose methotrexate have been reported previously, with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia being the most common infection (10 of 23, 43%). Patients receiving low dose methotrexate are at risk for opportunistic infection despite normal leukocyte counts.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Endobronchial lesions in HIV-infected individuals.

Endobronchial manifestations of HIV infection are rare. The endobronchial appearance and clinical presentation of these lesions may suggest the correct diagnosis. Establishing an appropriate differential diagnosis at the time of visualization of the endobronchial lesion is important because some lesions require specific biopsy techniques or special stains. The bronchoscopist must consider the risks vs benefits of biopsy when confronted with an endobronchial lesion. With the notable exception of pseudomembranous necrotizing tracheobronchial aspergillosis, there are no specific endobronchial lesions associated with HIV infection which increase the risk of complications when they are biopsied. Although EKS is a vascular lesion and an early case report suggested that endobronchial biopsy might result in excessive bleeding, this complication was not observed in two subsequent series. Fortunately, a presumptive diagnosis of EKS can usually be made without biopsy by the characteristic appearance of the lesions. EKS is the most common endobronchial lesion associated with HIV infection; however, its incidence will probably decline as the incidence of KS declines. Many of the other endobronchial lesions described herein have been reported recently. We suspect these and other lesions will be found more frequently, as the epidemic of HIV continues to evolve.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1994

Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure following intrapleural thrombolytic therapy for hemothorax.

Intrapleural instillation of thrombolytic agents has been useful in the treatment of hemothorax when thoracostomy tube drainage is unsuccessful. We present a patient who developed acute hypoxemic respiratory failure following the intrapleural instillation of both streptokinase and urokinase 24 h apart. Hypoxemia most likely resulted from a direct effect of the products of fibrinolysis on the pulmonary circulation.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Pleurodesis using talc slurry.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of talc slurry for pleurodesis. DESIGN: Retrospective. PARTICIPANTS: All patients who received talc slurry via tube thoracostomy at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from March 1991 to April 1992. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients received talc slurry in 75 procedures; five patients had 2 unilateral procedures and 12 had bilateral procedures. Fifty-two patients had malignant pleural effusions with the most common cell types being breast (23 of 52, 44 percent), lung (4 of 52, 8 percent), ovarian (4 of 52, 8 percent), and endometrial (3 of 52, 6 percent). Four patients had benign conditions. The mean duration of follow-up was 171 days (range, 2 to 450 days). Success, defined as the absence of pleural fluid reaccumulation, was evaluable in 47 of 73 (64 percent) procedures. Pleurodesis was successful in 38 of 47 (81 percent). Adverse effects associated with pleurodesis included fever (46 of 73, 63 percent), empyema (4 of 73, 5 percent), atrial arrhythmia (3 of 73, 4 percent), hypotension (3 of 73, 4 percent), and hypoxemic respiratory failure (3 of 73, 4 percent). There were no deaths attributable to the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Talc slurry instilled through a chest tube is an effective bedside method of pleurodesis. Fever occurs frequently. Respiratory failure is a rare but potentially serious complication that deserves further investigation.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Thoracic endometriosis. Recurrence following hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and successful treatment with talc pleurodesis.

This is a report of an unusual patient who had four of the five manifestations of thoracic endometriosis, including right pneumothorax, left hemothorax, chest pain, and hemoptysis. This patient shows that recurrence of symptoms can occur while a patient is receiving hormonal replacement therapy even after hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy; estrogen replacement should probably be delayed for several months to allow complete regression of the ectopic endometrial tissue. Alternatively, chemical pleurodesis can be effective in treating recurrent pneumothorax or hemothorax while the patient is receiving hormonal replacement. Bilateral pleural involvement and hemoptysis suggest microembolization of endometrial tissue as the pathogenic mechanism for thoracic endometriosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Noninvasive evaluation of the patient with a pleural effusion.

Pleural fluid formation is an indicator of a pathologic process that may be of primary pulmonary origin but also may be a reflection of disease in virtually any other organ system or a systemic disease. A thoracentesis should be performed on any patient in whom the cause of the effusion has not been established yet. The possible exception to this is an effusion thought to be secondary to uncomplicated congestive heart failure. The presumptive or definitive diagnosis can be established in 75% of patients by following patient history, physical examination, and pleural fluid analysis.

Diagnosis, Differential↗