We report the case of a 46-year-old male patient who was referred for chest pain and bilateral pleural effusion. Despite treatment with antibiotics and steroids, the pleural effusion worsened over a few months until pulmonary function was halved. The CT scan showed bilateral pleural thickening with right basal opacity. Histology revealed extensive fibrotic tissue with focal collections of lymphocytes and giant cells without traces of asbestos bodies. Since no evidence of an infectious, embolic or occupational aetiology was found, this bilateral pleural effusion progressing to diffuse pleural thickening was diagnosed as cryptogenic fibrosing pleuritis, a rare pleural disease.
Cryptogenic Fibrosing Pleuritis / Manco, Alessandra; Alfieri, Veronica; Gnetti, Letizia; Aiello, Marina; Bertorelli, Giuseppina; Majori, Maria; Chetta, Alfredo. - In: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CASE REPORTS IN INTERNAL MEDICINE. - ISSN 2284-2594. - 8:5(2021). [10.12890/2021_002498]
Cryptogenic Fibrosing Pleuritis
Manco, Alessandra;Alfieri, Veronica;Gnetti, Letizia;Aiello, Marina;Bertorelli, Giuseppina;Majori, Maria;Chetta, Alfredo
2021-01-01
Abstract
We report the case of a 46-year-old male patient who was referred for chest pain and bilateral pleural effusion. Despite treatment with antibiotics and steroids, the pleural effusion worsened over a few months until pulmonary function was halved. The CT scan showed bilateral pleural thickening with right basal opacity. Histology revealed extensive fibrotic tissue with focal collections of lymphocytes and giant cells without traces of asbestos bodies. Since no evidence of an infectious, embolic or occupational aetiology was found, this bilateral pleural effusion progressing to diffuse pleural thickening was diagnosed as cryptogenic fibrosing pleuritis, a rare pleural disease.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.