• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.601-608
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• 1999

Background: Tuberculous pleural effusion responds well to the anti-tuberculosis agents in general, so no further aggressive therapeutic managements to drain the tuberculous effusion is necessary except in case of diagnostic thoracentesis. But in clinical practice, we often see some patients who later decortication need due to dyspnea caused by pleural thickening despite the completion of anti-tuberculosis therapy in the patients with tuberculous effusion. Especially, the patients with loculated tuberculous effusion might have increased chance of pleural thickening after treatment. The purpose of this study was that intrapleural urokinase instillation could reduce the pleural thickening in the treatment of loculated tuberculous pleural effusion. Methods: Thirty-seven patients initially diagnosed as having loculated tuberculous pleural effusion were randomly assigned to receive either the combined treatment of urokinase instillation and anti-tuberculosis agents(UK group) and anti-tuberculosis agents(Non-UK group) alone. The 16 patients in UK group received a single radiographically guided pig-tail catheter ranging in size from 10 to 12 French. 100,000 units of urokinase was dissolved in 150 ml of normal saline and instilled into the pleural cavity via pig-tail catheter every day, also this group was treated with anti-tuberculosis agents. While the 21 patients in Non-UK group were treated with anti-tuberculosis agents only except diagnostic thoracentesis. Then we evaluated the residual pleural thickening after treatment for their loculated tuberculous pleural effusion between the two groups. Also the duration of symptoms and the pleural fluid biochemistry like WBC counts, pH, lactic dehydrogenase(LDH), glucose, proteins, and adenosine deaminase(ADA) were compared. Results: 1) The residual pleural thickening(RPT)($5.08{\pm}6.77$ mm) of UK group was significantly lower than that($20.3222{\pm}26.37$ mm) of Non-UK group(P<0.05). 2) The duration of symptoms before anti-tuberculosis drug therapy of patients with RPT$\geq$10 mm($5.23{\pm}3.89$ wks) was significantly longer than the patients with RPT<10 mm($2.63{\pm}1.99$ wks)(P<0.05). 3) There were no significant differences in the pleural fluid findings like WBC count, glucose, LDH, proteins, pH, ADA between the patients with RPT$\geq$10 mm and the patients with RPT<10 mm. Conclusion : The treatment of loculated tuberculous pleural effusion with the urokinase instillation via percutaneous transthoraic catheter was effective to reduce the pleural thickening.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 1997

Background : The changes of the composition in the T-lymphocyte are important as an immunological abnormality in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Previously, the second type of TCR dimer(${\gamma}{\delta}$ T lymphocyte) that did not express CD4 or CD8 molecules was found. In other reports the presence of this type of lymphocytes was increased in the initial stage of tuberculous infections. Method : To determine whether there are some differences in the T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood or pleural effusion between pleural tuberculosis and other pleurisy. Thirty patients with pleural effusion among the forty-nine patients were examined T-lymphocyte subset analysis(CD4+T-cell,CD8+ T-cell,${\gamma}{\delta}$ T-lymphocytes) with anti- Leu4, anti-Leu3a, anti-Lea2a, anti HLA-DR and anti-TCR-${\gamma}{\delta}$-1(Becton & Dickinson Co.). Results : The average age of the patients was 50 years old(17-81year). There were 33 males and 16 female patients. Patiensts with tuberculosis are 30cases(tuberculous pleurisy 15), lung cancer 12cases(malignant effusion 9) and pneumonia 7cases(parapneumonic effusion 6cases) In T lymphocyte subsets of pleural effusion, helper T lymphocyte(54.6 + 13.8 %) of tuberculous pleurisy was higher than that(36.2 + 25.3 %) of non-tuberculous pleurisy(p=0.04). The peripheral blood ${\gamma}{\delta}$ T-lymphocytes in tuberculousis was insignificantly higher than non-tuberculous patients(p= 0.24). The peripheral blood ${\gamma}{\delta}$ T-lymphocytes and pleural ${\gamma}{\delta}$ T-Iymphocytes in tuberculous pleurisy was insignificantly higher than in non-tuberculous pleurisy(p= 0.16, p= 0.12). Conclusion : The percentage of -${\gamma}{\delta}$ T lymphocytes among the total T-lymphocytes is not significantly increased in the peripheral blood or pleural effusion of the pleural tuberculosis. ${\gamma}{\delta}$ T lymphocytes is less useful as a diagnostic method of pleural tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.607-614
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• 2001

Background : Residual pleural thickening is frequently seen following treatment for tuberculous pleurisy, and pleural decortication is performed occasionally in patients with severe residual pleural thickening. However, predictive factors for the development of residual pleural thickening are uncertain at the initial diagnosis of the tuberculous pleurisy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the associated factors for residual pleural thickening at initial diagnosis. Methods : We separated 63 patients diagnosed as tuberculous pleurisy into two groups; group 1 consisted of patients without residual pleural thickening and group 2 comprised patients with residual pleural thickening at the end of tuberculous pleurisy treatment. We analyzed the clinical characteristics, radiological findings, pleural biopsy and characteristics of pleural fluid between group 1 and group 2. Results : The study population and clinical symptoms of the two groups were not significantly different and the duration of symptoms before treatment and the peripheral WBC were similar between the two groups. The presence of pulmonary tuberculosis, pleural fluid loculation or the amount of pleural effusion sid not differ significantly between the two groups. The incidence of positive AFB staining(group 1 : 8%, group 2 : 38%) and granuloma(group 1 : 30%, group 2: 62%)on pleural biopsy specimens was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. Pleural fluid WBC and differential count, adenosine deaminase level, pH, protein level or glucose level did not differ between the two groups. However, group 2 had higher LDH levels ($1370{\pm}208mg/dL$) than group 1 ($860{\pm}71mg/dL$, p<0.05). Conclusion : In tuberculous pleurisy, patients with residual pleural thickening following treatment demonstrated a higher incidence of positive AFB staining and granuloma on the pleural biopsy specimens or higher LDH level in the pleural fluid than patients without residual pleural thickening From these results, we speculate that the amount of tuberculous bacilli and granuloma are probably correlated with residual pleural thickening in the tuberculous pleurisy.