|
|
||||||||
Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password |
|||||||||
* From the Departments of Pulmonary Medicine (Dr. Lee) and Pathology (Dr. McDonald) and Cardiovascular Surgical Associates (Dr. Nesbitt), Saint Thomas Hospital, Nashville, TN; the Pulmonary Division (Dr. Vaz), Heart Institute (INCOR), University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil; the Departments of Pathology (Dr. Ely) and Medicine (Dr. Light), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; and the Department of Medicine (Dr. Thompson), University of Western Australia,
Correspondence to: Y. C. Gary Lee, MBChB, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Saint Thomas Hospital, 4220 Harding Rd, Nashville, TN 37202; e-mail: ycgarylee{at}hotmail.com
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Objectives: To describe the patient characteristics and pathologic condition of the pleural tissues in patients with persistent post-CABG effusions.
Subjects: Eight patients with persistent post-CABG effusions who underwent thoracoscopy or thoracotomy over a 2-year period by one thoracic surgeon. These eight patients were selected as having undergone CABG > 2 months before their thoracic surgery and had no other identifiable causes of effusion.
Results: The median time from CABG to
pleural surgery was 132 days (range, 74 to 2,258 days). The median left
ventricular ejection fraction was 57% (range, 15 to 70%). All
patients were dyspneic and had large (
25% of the hemithorax)
effusions on chest radiograph. All effusions persisted after two or
more thoracenteses. Pleural effusion was left sided in three patients
and bilateral in five patients. Pleural fluid was characterized by
lymphocytosis (82 to 99%). Four of the eight patients had a visceral
peel and trapped lung requiring decortication. Seven of the eight
biopsy specimens showed pleural thickening characterized by dense
fibrous tissues with associated mononuclear cell infiltration, while
the eighth biopsy specimen showed only clotted blood. The degree of
inflammation and fibrosis correlated with the interval between CABG and
pleural surgery. Early post-CABG patients displayed more inflammation,
with abundant lymphocytes in nodular configuration deep in the fibrous
tissues away from the surface. Abundant keratin-positive,
spindle-shaped cells were present in the fibrous tissues. Late cases
showed predominantly mature fibrosis.
Conclusions: Persistent post-CABG effusion can occur. Pleural fluids and pleural tissue in early-stage lesions were characterized by lymphocytosis. With time, the inflammatory changes were replaced by fibrosis that resulted in dyspnea and, at times, trapped lungs requiring surgical intervention.
Key Words: coronary artery bypass grafting pathology pleural effusion
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
We report the clinical and pleural histologic features of eight patients who had persistent post-CABG pleural effusions and underwent thoracos- copy or thoracotomy from 10 weeks to 6 years after their CABG.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Clinical Data
Eight patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopy or
thoracotomy for investigation or management of persistent post-CABG
pleural effusions were identified. Their pleural tissues from open
biopsy were independently examined. The pleural fluid result of one of
the patients (patient 7) has been included in a previous
publication.7
None of the eight patients had radiologic evidence of pleural effusion before their CABG. Two patients had mild chronic renal impairment (serum creatinine, 1.6 mg/dL and 1.7 mg/dL, respectively) not severe enough to explain their effusions. None of these patients had a history of connective tissue diseases, hepatic cirrhosis, recent pneumonia, significant asbestos exposure, or use of drugs associated with pleural effusions.
Pathology
Pleural tissues obtained during thoracoscopy or thoracotomy were
reviewed. The slides were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and
cytokeratin stains (for immunoreactivity against AE1/AE3 and a
low-molecular-weight cytokeratin, CAM-5.2). Immunohistochemical
analysis with L26 (pan B-cell specific marker) and UCHL1 (pan
T-cell-specific marker) was also performed.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
25% of the hemithorax) effusions on chest
radiograph. The pleural effusion was left sided in three patients and
bilateral in five patients. All effusions persisted after two or more
thoracenteses. Two patients (patients 2 and 7) also underwent tube
thoracostomy before their thoracic surgery. The radiographic
abnormalities and number of thoracenteses received are reported in
Table 2
. The thoracentesis results were available in four patients (Table 3
). Lymphocytosis (82 to 99%) was a common feature in all these four
effusions.
|
|
A summary of the surgical procedures and intraoperative findings of the eight patients are summarized in Table 4 . Four of the patients (50%) had trapped lungs requiring decortication. All patients had intraoperative findings suggestive of a chronic inflammatory process, with no macroscopic features of an acute process or of malignancies. None of the patients had further recurrence of their effusions after their thoracoscopy or thoracotomy (follow-up period, 2 to 18 months; median, 12 months).
|
|
|
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Pleural effusion is very common after CABG surgery and can be detected in approximately 90% of patients within the first week of operation.1 While most of these effusions are small and self-limiting, large and persistent pleural effusions have been reported.7 The etiology of post-CABG effusions and the reasons why some effusions persist while most resolve remain unknown.
None of these patients had other identifiable risk factors for pleural effusion, and the temporal relationship of the onset of effusion and CABG suggested a causal relationship. The lack of pleuritic symptoms or fever and the duration of the effusion virtually excluded post-cardiac injury syndrome. None of the eight patients we described had clinical evidence of pericardial disease or congestive cardiac failure. No other causes were found during the disease course or from thoracoscopy/thoracotomy to explain the effusions. Open pleural biopsy specimens failed to demonstrate any specific cause (eg, malignancy) for these effusions, and there was no recurrence of the effusion after the surgical intervention.
Large post-CABG effusions can be categorized into early- and late-phase effusions.7 The early ones are usually related with surgical trauma and peak in size within the first month after surgery. These effusions are bloody with associated eosinophilia. The late-phase post-CABG effusions are different in that they usually reach maximum size after the first postoperative month. The pleural fluids often appear nonbloody and are characterized by significant lymphocytosis.6 7 The latter feature has led to the speculation of an immunologic basis of these late-phase post-CABG pleural effusions.
Little is known about the histologic changes of the pleura in patients with persistent post-CABG effusions. Areno et al8 described the histology of one patient 2 years after CABG. The parietal pleura was thickened and showed evidence of chronic pleuritis with nests of lymphocytes.8 Kollef3 described another patient 3 months after CABG who had a closed pleural biopsy specimen showing chronic inflammation and a mesothelial cyst.
Our samples confirmed that lymphocytosis was the key feature on the early biopsy tissues as well as in the pleural fluids. We further defined that the lymphocytes were predominantly B cells and that these lymphocytic infiltrates subsided with time. The trigger for the intense inflammation and lymphocytic infiltration is unknown. The exact etiologic role of these lymphocytes also warrants further evaluation.
All of the patients in our series had symptomatic, large pleural effusions that failed to resolve after at least two thoracenteses. Those with long intervals after CABG were more likely to have evidence of visceral peel and trapped lung that required decortication. This was confirmed by the pleural biopsy samples, which demonstrated that patients with a longer interval after CABG had more pleural fibrosis and thickening. The source of the fibrosis remains unclear. While infiltrating fibroblasts can produce the fibrosis, mesothelial cells have also been shown to produce collagen,9 10 11 which may in part contribute to the fibrotic process.
Four of the patients we described had visceral peel and trapped lungs. Full reexpansion was achieved in three of these four patients after decortication. Of all the cases of persistent post-CABG effusions reported, most resolved with thoracentesis.6 12 13 Only one case of trapped lung from persistent post-CABG effusion had previously been described.12 In that patient, decortication performed 4 months after CABG was also successful in restoring reexpansion. Cohen and Finch5 described two patients with loculated post-CABG effusions who were treated successfully with intrapleural urokinase. It was not certain whether they had trapped lungs.
In cases in which fluid reaccumulation continues for > 6 months, consideration should be given to more aggressive intervention that may help prevent the eventual development of trapped lungs. Pleurecotomy or surgical pleurodesis with talc with or without mechanical abrasion appeared effective in controlling the effusion in the patients we described. None had further recurrence of pleural effusion afterwards.
There are some limitations to this present study. It is a retrospective review, and not all the patients pleural fluid analyses were available. Post-CABG pleural effusion is a diagnosis of exclusion. Although there are no other identifiable causes for the effusion in any of our patients, other etiologies cannot be fully excluded. While none of the patients had recurrence of symptoms or required further thoracentesis after thoracoscopy or thoracotomy, no radiographs were obtained. Hence, we cannot fully exclude the possibility of asymptomatic recurrence of the effusions. Also, our method of identifying patients may well have underestimated the true incidence of persistent post-CABG effusions requiring surgical intervention.
In conclusion, we demonstrated that persistent post-CABG pleural effusion can occur and, in some cases, require surgical intervention. The number of cases of persistent post-CABG effusion may rise as more CABG procedures are performed each year. Increased awareness and recognition of this syndrome is important. If the effusion persists > 6 months, surgical intervention should be considered, as it is effective in decorticating any trapped lung and in preventing reaccumulation of the effusions.
| Acknowledgements |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Supported by the Saint Thomas Foundation, Nashville, TN, and United States-New Zealand Fulbright Graduate Award (Dr. Lee).
Received for publication February 29, 2000. Accepted for publication September 25, 2000.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. Guha, S. Munjampalli, V. Bandi, M. Loebe, G. Noon, and W. Lunn Pleural Effusion After Ventricular Assist Device Placement: Prevalence and Pleural Fluid Characteristics Chest, August 1, 2008; 134(2): 382 - 386. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Piccoli, P. Trambaiolo, A. Salustri, E. Cerquetani, A. Posteraro, G. Pastena, E. Amici, F. Papetti, E. Marincola, S. La Carruba, et al. Bedside Diagnosis and Follow-up of Patients With Pleural Effusion by a Hand-Carried Ultrasound Device Early After Cardiac Surgery Chest, November 1, 2005; 128(5): 3413 - 3420. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. A. Frazier, F. Qureshi, K. M. Read, R. C. Gilkeson, R. S. Poston, and C. S. White Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts: Assessment with Multidetector CT in the Early and Late Postoperative Settings RadioGraphics, July 1, 2005; 25(4): 881 - 896. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. M. Rowlands, J. M. Zasik, and J. F. Reed III Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma-Associated Pleural Effusion After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting J Am Osteopath Assoc, May 1, 2004; 104(5): 215 - 217. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
I. Kalomenidis, M. Rodriguez, R. Barnette, R. Gupta, M. Hawthorne, K. B. Parkes, and R. W. Light Patient With Bilateral Pleural Effusion: Are the Findings the Same in Each Fluid? Chest, July 1, 2003; 124(1): 167 - 176. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. W. Light, J. T. Rogers, J. P. Moyers, Y. C. G. Lee, R. M. Rodriguez, W. C. Alford Jr., S. K. Ball, G. R. Burrus, W. H. Coltharp, D. M. Glassford Jr., et al. Prevalence and Clinical Course of Pleural Effusions at 30 Days after Coronary Artery and Cardiac Surgery Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., December 15, 2002; 166(12): 1567 - 1571. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. A. Eid, J. I. Keddissi, M. Samaha, M. M. Tawk, K. Kimmell, and G. T. Kinasewitz Exudative Effusions in Congestive Heart Failure Chest, November 1, 2002; 122(5): 1518 - 1523. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |