Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35212269›Full record

SynthesisMedicine2022

Etiology, pathological characteristics, and clinical management of black pleural effusion: A systematic review.

Zohaib Yousaf, Fateen Ata, Haseeb Chaudhary, Florian Krause, Ben Min-Woo Illigens, Timo Siepmann

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Comparison of LENT, PROMISE, and RECLS scores in malignant pleural effusions.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Zohaib YousafInternal Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Fateen AtaInternal Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0001-7121-8574
Haseeb ChaudharyDepartment of Internal Medicine, Reading Hospital, Tower Health, PA.
Florian KrauseDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
Ben Min-Woo IlligensDepartment of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Timo SiepmannDivision of Health Care Sciences, Center for Clinical Research and Management Education, Dresden International University, Dresden, Germany.
Dresden International University · DEBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · USHamad Medical Corporation · QAReading Hospital · USUniversity Hospital Carl Gustav Carus · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPleural effusion is characterized by excessive fluid collection in the pleural cavity. Black pleural effusion (BPE) is a rare entity with only limited scientific data. We aimed to review the current literature on black pleural effusion to characterize demographics, etiology, clinical presentation, pathological findings, available treatment strategies, and prognosis of this rare condition.

methodsWe performed a systematic review of case reports and series and synthesized data on demographics, manifestations, management, and outcomes of patients with BPE. We searched Cochrane Library, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar for any date until January 10, 2021. All studies (n = 31) that reported black pleural effusion in patients were added to the review. Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews registration number: CRD42020213839. Summary and descriptive analysis was performed on Jamovi version 1.2.

resultsThe mean age of 32 patients with BPE was 53 years, with male predominance (69%). The commonest risk factor was smoking (n = 9) followed by alcohol intake (n = 8). Dyspnea was the commonest symptom (n = 24, 75%). Pleural fluid was mostly exudative (n = 21). The commonest associated diagnosis was malignancy (n = 14), with 50% secondary to metastatic melanoma. The commonest intervention was therapeutic thoracocentesis (n = 25, 78%), and the effusion recurred in half of the cases where recurrence was reported (n = 13). In our review, we found the mortality rate to be at 20.8% (n = 20.8%). 58.3% of the patients were successfully treated and discharged home (n = 14).

conclusionAlthough rare, BPE appears to be a relevant symptom as it seems to be frequently associated with modifiable risk factors and underlying malignancy. Our systematic review substantiates a vital research gap as observational research is imperative to characterize BPE further and form a basis for designing tailored diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies for BPE.

Indexed as

Pleural EffusionAdultAgedExudates and TransudatesHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID35212269
PMCPMC8878788
OpenAlexW4214480721

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.