[Diagnostic difficulties in pleural mesothelioma]

Abstract

The analysis is reported of 29 case records of patients admitted in the last 25 years to the Department of Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis, Medical Academy in Gdańsk with suspected pleural malignant mesothelioma. In 16 cases the diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination, and in 13 cases the diagnosis of mesothelioma was based on the whole clinical picture and cytological examination of pleural effusion. The most frequent symptoms included dyspnoea, pain, progressing weakness. In most cases signs of increasing effusion volume and sometimes also of pleural thickening were found on medical and radiological examination. The mean survival time was 5 months. The results of treatment were not satisfactory.