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Biomedical subjects

B Varkey

Publications and source records attributed to B Varkey.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Pulmonary tuberculosis: a multifaceted disease.

One reason for the increasing misdiagnosis of tuberculosis in adults is the fact that one of every three patients may present with a roentgenographic pattern considered atypical for the disease. In this article a number of such atypical patterns--pleural manifestations, nodular forms of the disease, and infiltrates in unusual locations--are discussed and illustrated by means of case summaries. Awareness of these variations would help in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, which is progressively becoming a responsibility of physicians involved in primary care.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Pulmonary infection caused by Mycobacterium gordonae.

Mycobacterium gordonae, a scotochromogenic organism, is considered a saprophyte. In sputum cultures the isolation of this organism or other species belonging to the scotochromogen group is not generally considered clinically significant since they are known to appear as commensals. We report the case of a 50-year-old man with pulmonary infection caused by M. gordonae. The clinical and radiographic findings in this case and the course was outlined. Diagnostic criteria of atypical mycobacterial infections are discussed and previously reported scotochromogenic infections briefly reviewed.

Humans↗
PubMed1980

Lymphocyte function in relapsed pulmonary blastomycosis.

Lymphocyte function was studied in two patients with multiple relapses of pulmonary blastomycosis following antifungal therapy. Neither patient was anergic to routine delayed hypersensitivity skin testing with common antigens. Both had normal in vitro lymphocyte transformation responses to standard mitogens and common microbial antigens. The ability of lymphocytes from the two patients to respond to antigens of the infecting organism was evaluated using a yeast phase Blastomyces dermatitidis extract in tests of in vitro lymphocyte function. Both patients demonstrated positive responses to this extract in standard assays of two in vitro parameters of lymphocyte function, lymphocyte transformation, and lymphokine production. Therefore if an immunologic defect is responsible for the repeated relapses of treated pulmonary blastomycosis in these two patients, it apparently is not one of deficient lymphocyte responsiveness against the infecting organism, as has been found using similar techniques in patients with disseminated deep infections caused by other fungal organisms.

Antigens, Fungal↗
PubMed1978

Asbestos-related diseases of lung and pleura: clinical picture and illustrative cases.

Exposure to asbestos may occur in any of a large number of occupations, and the latent period from exposure to appearance of clinical or roentgenologic evidence of related disease of the lung or pleura, or both, may be more than 20 years. A complete occupational history is therefore of paramount importance in the detection of asbestos-related diseases. Illustrative cases highlight the features of benign and malignant diseases of the lung and pleura for which a causal relationship to asbestos exposure is probable or established.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Miconazole treatment of relapsed pulmonary blastomycosis.

Two patients with second relapses of pulmonary blastomycosis after successful treatments with adequate doses of amphotericin B were retreated with miconazole. One patient had experienced an acute intrabronchial spread of disease to the contralateral lung before miconazole therapy. Marked clinical and roentgenographic improvement occurred with treatment, followed by mycologic relapse 1 month later. The other patient sustained a more indolent relapse of disease. A favorable response to treatment with miconazole was demonstrated by improvement in abnormalities noted on a chest roentgenogram and a [67]gallium-citrate scan.

Amphotericin B↗
PubMed1978

"Contarini's condition:" bilateral pleural effusions with markedly different characteristics.

A leukemic patient presented with bilateral pleural effusions. The effusions were markedly different in their characteristics; left-sided staphylococcal empyema and right-sided lymphocytic effusion. To our knowledge, there are no cases of this type reported in the modern literature. The importance of bilateral diagnostic thoracocentesis in patients on immunosuppressant therapy is emphasized.

Empyema↗
PubMed1976

Pulmonary aspergilloma. A rational approach to treatment.

A prospective study of 15 patients with pulmonary aspergilloma was undertaken over an 11 year period. Serious underlying diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and alcoholic cirrhosis, were present in 12 of them. Eight of 15 patients whose clinical and roentgenographic course was followed for an average of 50 months, received no specific therapy. There were four deaths in this group, none attributable to aspergilloma. The aspergilloma had lysed spontaneously in two, decreased in size in one and was unchanged in one. In the four surviving patients who had no treatment, the aspergilloma lysed spontaneously in one, remained unchanged in two and increased in size in one. Of the seven patients who were treated medically or surgically, three died. Among the seven deaths (untreated and treated patients combined), six were clearly related to underlying disease. The prognosis of aspergilloma is related primarily to the nature and severity of the underlying disease(s). Contrary to the conclusions of previous reports, the experience in our series of patients suggests that routine surgical excision of aspergilloma is not indicated.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm presenting as a solitary pulmonary nodule.

Bronchogenic carcinoma was suspected in an elderly male smoker who had lost weight and presented with a large solitary pulmonary nodule on the radiograph. On thoracotomy a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm was found. The diographic findings in this case and the characteristics of thoracoabdominal aneurysms in general are briefly discussed.

Aged↗