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Biomedical subjects

W M Edmondstone

Publications and source records attributed to W M Edmondstone.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Investigation of pleural effusion: comparison between fibreoptic thoracoscopy, needle biopsy and cytology.

Twenty-eight patients with exudative pleural effusion have been investigated by fibreoptic thoracoscopy, Abrams needle biopsy and pleural fluid cytology. Sixteen patients had previously had negative pleural biopsies and cytology. Twenty effusions were malignant (16 mesothelioma, four metastatic carcinoma), seven were due to nonspecific inflammation and in one case no abnormality was found. The diagnostic yield for all three techniques combined was 85%, for thoracoscopy alone 65%, Abrams biopsy 60% and cytology 45%. In 12 patients presenting without previous investigation all eight malignant effusions were correctly diagnosed by at least one of the techniques with individual sensitivities of 75% for thoracoscopy, 63% for Abrams and 38% for cytology. Of the 16 patients who had previously had negative investigations 12 had malignant effusions, nine (75%) of which were diagnosed by a combination of the techniques. In this group, the individual sensitivities were 58% for both thoracoscopy and Abrams and 50% for cytology. A correct diagnosis of malignancy was made by a combination of needle biopsy and cytology in 75% of patients with previous investigations and 88% of those without. Fibreoptic thoracoscopy added only two diagnoses of malignancy to those obtained by Abrams and cytology. The limitations of the technique render it unsuitable for routine investigation of pleural effusions.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Sarcoidosis in nurses: is there an association?

A retrospective survey of patients with sarcoidosis has revealed a 7.5 times greater number of nurses with the condition than expected. Nurses may be especially susceptible to sarcoidosis.

England↗
PubMed1985

Sarcoidosis in Caucasians, Blacks and Asians in London.

The incidence and clinical features of sarcoidosis were studied in a retrospective survey of 156 patients attending two South London hospitals between 1969 and 1982. Sixty-eight patients were Caucasian, 59 were Black West Indian or African immigrants and 29 were immigrants racially derived from Indo-Pakistan (Asians). The annual incidence of sarcoidosis in the local community in 1977-78 was 19.8 per 10(5) for Blacks and 16.8 per 10(5) for Asians compared with 1.5 per 10(5) for Caucasians. Erythema nodosum was a more common presenting feature in Caucasians than in Blacks (P less than 0.001) or Asians (P less than 0.05). Blacks developed sarcoidosis at a later age than Caucasians (P less than 0.05) and were less likely to present as a chance finding on a chest radiograph (P less than 0.05). They had more widespread extrathoracic disease than Caucasians (P less than 0.001) and were more commonly treated with corticosteroids (P less than 0.001). In the Asians there was a male predominance compared with Caucasians (P less than 0.01). Asians also had more extrathoracic sarcoidosis than Caucasians (P less than 0.001) and more of them were treated with corticosteroids (P less than 0.05). A stage 2 chest radiograph at presentation (P less than 0.05) and skin sarcoidosis (P less than 0.05) were less common in Asians than in Blacks, but otherwise there were no significant differences between the two groups. In this study the incidence of sarcoidosis in Asians approached that in Blacks, while the clinical features were intermediate in severity between Blacks and Caucasians. In both Blacks and Asians the disease was more common, more severe and more extensive than in Caucasians.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1985

Laser therapy in 100 tracheobronchial tumours.

One hundred patients with tracheobronchial tumours were treated with the neodymium YAG (yttrium-aluminium-garnet) or argon laser for symptoms of airways obstruction caused by tumour (59 cases), complete collapse of a lung (17 cases), or recurrent haemoptysis (24 cases). Seventy four of them had relapsed or failed to respond to radiotherapy or chemotherapy and all were inoperable. Objective improvement in results of lung function tests or haemoptysis diary charts was seen in 37 patients with airways obstruction (63%), five (29%) with collapsed lung, and 14 (58%) with haemoptysis. Overall, 68 patients had symptomatic benefit and there was objective improvement in 56. Two deaths occurred in 288 treatment sessions both occurring as a result of asphyxia from minor haemorrhage in patients with advanced cylindromas and critical narrowing of the trachea or single remaining bronchus. In suitable patients with intraluminal tumour laser phototherapy is a valuable addition to conventional treatment.

Adult↗