Revue des maladies respiratoires
-
Review Case Reports
[A rare and curable cause of acute respiratory insufficiency after a pneumonectomy. The platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome by the reopening of the foramen ovale].
We describe a case of a 54 year old patient who had developed a right to left shunt due to a patent foramen ovale as a late consequence of a pneumonectomy; this was responsible for acute respiratory insufficiency and respiratory failure. This is a rare complication, but its clinical presentation as platypnea-orthodeoxia should lead to the correct diagnosis. ⋯ The treatment is surgical with excellent results. The pathophysiological mechanism is also discussed.
-
Pleural diseases frequently pose problems to the pulmonary physician. The clinical and radiological approaches are often insufficient and it is necessary to resort to techniques which enable a precise morphological diagnosis of the pleural lesion. ⋯ Using this technique the diagnostic yield and the harmless nature of the technique are of the first importance. After recording traditional techniques of investigation of lung disease (puncture, needle biopsy) the equipment, the technique, the indications and the risks and the diagnostic results from thoracoscopy are discussed.