Angelo Gianni Casalini, Pier Anselmo Mori, Maria Majori, Miriam Anghinolfi, Enrico Maria Silini, Letizia Gnetti, Federica Motta, Sandra Larini, Sara Montecchini, Roberta Pisi, Adriana Calderaro
Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a standardised work-up in the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (TB) that included fibreoptic bronchoscopy and medical thoracoscopy. A consecutive series of 52 pleural TB patients observed during the period 2001-2015 was evaluated retrospectively. 20 females, mean (range) age 39.7 (18-74) years, and 32 males, mean (range) age 45.75 (21-83) years, were included (28 non-EU citizens (53.8%)). The diagnosis of TB infections was established by identification (using stains, culture or molecular tests) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the pleura, sputum and/or bronchial specimens, or by evidence of caseous granulomas on pleural biopsies...
January 2018: ERJ Open Research