Abstract
A patient who developed exudative pleurisy soon after the beginning of chemotherapy under the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis was recently experienced. Prompted by this experience, similar patients were surveyed to elucidate the mechanism of the development of such changes. Among those hospitalized in the author's sanatorium between 1960 and 1977, 12 such patients were found. Clinical symptoms, course and chest X-ray findings were studied in these cases and they compared with the findings in 75 patients hospitalized and subjected to chemotherapy under the diagnosis of exudative pleurisy.
Exudative pleurisy during chemotherapy is characterized by frequent occurrence in young subjects and fever as an obligatory manifestation. The effusion was negative for tubercle bacilli, frequently occurring on the contralateral side of the lesion. Acceleration of blood sedimentation was mild and the duration of the effusion was short.The mechanism of development of the effusion was discussed in the light of these findings.
