Needle Biopsy Of The Parietal Pleura In Patients With Pleural Effusion

Abstract

In a series of 185 patients with pleural effusion 256 needle biopsies of the parietal pleura gave a yield of specific findings in 61% of patients with tuberculous effusion and 59% of patients with neoplastic effusion. A majority of patients with cardiac effusion had unsatisfactory specimens, whereas a majority of patients with other diseases had histological evidence of nonspecific pleuritis. In cases of tuberculosis the yield of effusion Cultures is much less than the yield of biopsy, but in cases of neoplasm the yield of cell block approximates the yield of biopsy. Since each procedure may yield a diagnosis when others do not, all diagnostic methods should be used in the study of pleural effusion. © 1962, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.