CYTO-MORPHOLOGICAL PATTERN OF PLEURAL EFFUSION AMONG SUDANESE PATIENTS

Muaz Osman Mohamed Fagere*

ABSTRACT

This is a descriptive study carried out in Omdurman Teaching Hospital during the period from January 2013 to April 2015. The study aimed at assessing the cytomorphological pattern of pleural effusions and screening for malignant changes in patients with accumulated pleural effusions. 50 cytological samples were collected from patients with pleural effusions and processed then microscopically examined. The cytological smears revealed the following findings: Malignant cells “adenocarcinoma type” were found in 3(6%) samples, among which 2(4%) were in females samples and 1(2%) in male sample. However,
most of the specimens showed dense inflammatory infiltrate “acute, chronic”, which were detected in 40(80%) of the study subjects. Neutrophils and lymphocytes found in 40(80%) samples, histocytes in 39(78%) samples, plasma cells in 5(9%) samples, and eosinophils in only 3(6%) samples. On the basis of this study, cytomorphological assessment of pleural effusions is essential for diagnosis and patients management, nevertheless, immunocytochemistry will improve the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in this setting.

Keywords: Pleural Effusion, Exudates, Transudates, Adenocarcinoma, Cytology.