RESUMEN

A 22-year-old man, a recent immigrant from Mexico, was admitted to a Wisconsin hospital because of a swelling of the chest wall and right axilla. Originally, it was thought to be a skin infection with Staphylococcus aureus. When the treatment was unsuccessful, the patient returned to the hospital and the abscesses were found to have been caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Furthermore, there were pleural collections and it was thought that he had a manifestation called empyema necessitans, an extension of purulent pleural liquid through adjacent tissues to form an abscess on the thoracic wall.

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RESUMEN

El derrame pleural se define como la acumulación anormal de líquido en el espacio pleural; no es una enfermedad, es el resultado del desequilibrio entre la formación y la reabsorción del líquido como manifestación de alguna condición que incluso puede amenazar la vida del paciente. Es una entidad a la cual el clínico se ve enfrentado con frecuencia, la mayoría de las veces es secundaria a enfermedad pleural o pulmonar, pero puede también ser causada por enfermedades extrapulmonares, sistémicas o neoplásicas (bien sea primarias o metastásicas)...

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In May 2004, a 48-year-old male surgeon, resident in Bucaramanga, Colombia, suffered a superficial cut with a scalpel to the lateral aspect of the mid-phalanx of the second finger of the left hand while performing a pulmonary decortication surgical procedure for tuberculous empyema with pulmonary entrapment. The injury healed normally but, approximately 2 weeks after the event, an erythematous, nonpainful papule of approximately 3 mm in diameter developed, and increased progressively to 7 mm 3 days after its initial appearance. At this time, the papule showed spontaneous secretion of a clear liquid and superficial ulceration (Fig. 1). Approximately 3 weeks after the injury, a Gram stain of the liquid was performed; it showed no bacteria but a moderate leukocyte reaction. Because of the high suspicion of possible tuberculous infection, bacilloscopy of the liquid was performed, and was positive (++) for acid-fast bacteria (Fig. 2). The liquid was cultured and grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The culture was sent to the Laboratory of Mycobacteria at the National Institute of Health, Bogota, Colombia for drug resistance testing. Susceptibility was demonstrated against streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, and ethambutol. During this time, the patient presented an ipsilateral painful axillary adenopathy of about 2.5 cm in diameter. The patient consulted with an infectologist, who initiated a Directly Observed Therapy Short Course (DOTS) regimen [first phase (8 weeks): daily, except Sundays, streptomycin 1 g intramuscularly, pyrazinamide 1500 mg orally, isoniazid 300 mg, and rifampicin 600 mg; second phase (18 weeks): twice weekly rifampicin 600 mg and isoniazid 500 mg], accompanied by daily pyridoxine to prevent secondary effects from isoniazid. After 3 weeks of treatment, the finger lesion had disappeared. Treatment was undertaken as described above, with the patient reporting symptoms of vertigo, nausea, epigastralgia, and mild myalgia as the adverse effects of medication. A chest x-ray was taken and reported to be normal. The axillary adenopathy disappeared approximately 6 months after the injury. Nearly 3.5 years after the incident, the patient has not presented any type of symptomatology.

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O derrame pleural tuberculoso pode ser devido a uma manifestação da forma primária da doença ou da reativação de uma infecção latente pelo M. tuberculosis. Os avanços nos métodos laboratoriais contribuíram sobremaneira para um melhor diagnóstico e para a compreensão da fisiopatologia desta doença. No entanto, embora o derrame pleural predominante linfocítico seja indicativo de tuberculose em nosso meio, uma rotina de abordagem diagnóstica deve ser instituída a fim de orientar o tratamento precoce e evitar seqüelas.

Tuberculous pleural effusion is a common manifestation of the primary form of the disease or consequence of the reactivation of a latent infection due to the M. tuberculosis. Advances in the laboratory methods have contributed to better diagnose and understand the pathophysiology of the effusion secondary to tuberculosis. However, although a predominant lymphocytic pleural effusion is suspicious of tuberculosis, a diagnostic routine shall be instituted to orient treatment and prevent undesirable sequels.

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Tuberculous pleural effusion is a common manifestation of the primary form of the disease or consequence of the reactivation of a latent infection due to the M. tuberculosis. Advances in the laboratory methods have contributed to better diagnose and understand the pathophysiology of the effusion secondary to tuberculosis. However, although a predominant lymphocytic pleural effusion is suspicious of tuberculosis, a diagnostic routine shall be instituted to orient treatment and prevent undesirable sequels.

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El empiema tuberculoso es considerado como una entidad poco frecuente y habitualmente es la complicación de una tuberculosis pleural, sin embargo hay condiciones clínicas que pueden favorecer su desarrollo como son el plombage, oleotórax y neumotórax terapéutico, también se puede desarrollar a partir de una cicatriz fibrosa, por una neumonectomía o por una toracoplastia. Su fisiopatogenia es poco conocida, pero a diferencia de la tuberculosis pleural, el empiema de tipo tuberculoso es ocasionado por una infección de la cavidad pleural por el Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sus cuadros clínico y radiológico no son muy diferentes al derrame pleural tuberculoso, pero la presencia de fístula broncopleural puede complicar su cuadro clínico. El tratamiento requiere de un manejo con medicamentos antituberculosos, conjuntamente con manejo quirúrgico. El manejo quirúrgico se basa en el drenaje del material purulento, y puede ser tan sencillo como el colocar una sonda endopleural, pero en algunos casos será necesario un manejo más agresivo como la pleurotomía abierta o bien, la toracotomía.

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Os autores apresentam sua experiência com seis casos de derrame pleuropericßrdio tuberculoso (DPPT), ressaltando a necessidade e a importância do estabelecimento diagnóstico preciso desta enfermidade, fazendo o descrime com outros derrames. Ilustram o trabalho em questäo com a apresentaçäo de seis casos, dando destaque clínico, radiológico, eletrocardiográfico e ecocardiográfico a um deles, que se revelou por demais exuberante, com quadro pleuropericárdico dominando toda a cena.

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