Large Pericardial Effusion-Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options, with a Special Attention to the Role of Prolonged Pericardial Fluid Drainage.

Background: Large pericardial effusion (LPE) is associated with high mortality. In patients with cardiac tamponade or with suspected bacterial etiology of pericardial effusion, urgent pericardial decompression is necessary.

Aim: The aim of the present retrospective study was to assess the short-term results of pericardial decompression combined with prolonged drainage in LPE.

Tuberculous Pericarditis-Own Experiences and Recent Recommendations.

Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) accounts for 1% of all forms of tuberculosis and for 1-2% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. In endemic regions, TBP accounts for 50-90% of effusive pericarditis; in non-endemic, it only accounts for 4%. In the absence of prompt and effective treatment, TBP can lead to very serious sequelae, such as cardiac tamponade, constrictive pericarditis, and death.

Tuberculosis diagnosed by thoracic surgeons.

Introduction: Tuberculosis is frequently omitted in the diagnostic workup and may be identified accidentally following thoracic surgeries, mostly those targeting lung cancer.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics of patients who underwent thoracic surgery that resulted in the diagnosis of tuberculosis and to review lesions initially found on chest imaging in the context of the potential presence of tuberculosis.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed medical records of all patients hospitalized at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland, between the years 2014 and 2018 (n = 57) in whom tuberculosis was diagnosed.

Primary mediastinal neoplasms: a report of 1,005 cases from a single institution.

Background: This study was an epidemiological analysis of all primary mediastinal neoplasms (PMNs) diagnosed between 2000 and 2016 at the National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute, Poland.

Methods: All patients with any mediastinal abnormality were included in the analysis. The patients' age and gender were obtained from the institutional database.

Esophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis as a diagnostic and therapeutic problem.

The article presents the case of a 68-year-old patient with alcohol dependence syndrome, who was admitted, in serious condition, to the Department of Surgery due to esophageal intramural lesions of unclear etiology. The imaging studies showed no signs of transmural perforation of the esophageal wall. Esophagogastroscopy revealed intramural fluid reservoirs and small oval cavities with smooth edges in the esophageal mucosa.

Diagnosis of malignant pericarditis: a single centre experience.

Background: Malignancy is the most common cause of effusive pericarditis with a haemodynamically significant amount of pericardial fluid. Early diagnosis and management of malignant pericarditis may significantly improve outcomes.

Aim: To evaluate retrospectively the rate and clinical presentation of malignant pericarditis among patients undergoing invasive treatment, with a view to identification of optimal diagnostic modalities to distinguish this group among other patients.

Primary Sjögren's Syndrome with two extraglandular sites involvement - case report.

Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS) is a chronic, slowly progressive inflammatory autoimmune disorder, characterised by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, leading to decrease of glandular secretion. In 40-60% of pSS patients, extraglandular disease develops. We present the case of a patient with two extraglandular sites involvement in the course of pSS manifesting with progressive respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms.

[Purulent lung diseases necessitating surgical treatment--case reports].

Majority of purulent lung diseases are treated with antibiotics. But sometimes this therapy is not successful and surgical treatment is necessary. Two patients are described in this paper.