CT-guided transthoracic fine needle aspiration of pulmonary lesions: accuracy and complications in 134 cases.

The aim of this study was to perform a prospective evaluation of the effectiveness of computed tomography (CT)-guided transthoracic fine needle aspiration (TFNA) in the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions and to determine the complication rate of this procedure. A prospective review was conducted of 134 patients who underwent CT-guided TFNA at our center between December 2003 and August 2005. All fine needle aspirations were performed with a 22-gauge single-pass Chiba needle under CT guidance.

Pleural effusion as the first sign of multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a rare disorder that affects all tissues, except reticuloendothelial tissues, and seldom causes a myelomatous pleural effusion. A 56-year-old male patient attended our clinic complaining of shortness of breath and fatigue for the past month. A posteroanterior chest radiograph revealed a left pleural effusion, which was subsequently assessed as being exudative in nature.