Analysis of Thoracic Pathologies and Anomalies in the Turkish Population

The aim of this autopsy-based study was to determine the prevalence of chest wall deformities and pulmonary pathologies in the Turkish pop­ulation. The study was set on a consecutive autopsy series (n=784), with no history of thoracic trauma, thoracic operation, or known pul­monary disease, performed between December 2001- March 2003 at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Turkey. Chest wall deformities; pleural adhesions; bul­lous, nodular, and cavitary lesions; masses and abscess formations in the lungs were evaluated. There were 21 pectus excavatum (2.7%), 4 pectus carinatum (0.5%), and 5 vertebral column deformities (0.7%). Pleural adhesions were detected in 254 cases (32%), being minimal in 172 (22%) and massive in 82 (10%). The prevalence of bullous lesions was 14.3% (n=112). The pathological examination results of the 12 palpated masses (1.53%) revealed lung cancer in 6 (0.74%), tubercu­lomain 5 (0.63%), and metastatic lung tumor in 1 (0.12%). Of 64 nod­ules (8.1%), there were 40 enlarged intraparenchymal lymph nodes (5.1%), 7 tuberculomas (0.89%), 5 hamartomas (0.63%), 2 sarcoid nodules (0.25%), 1 amyloid nodule (0.12%) and 1 lipoma (0.12%). Of 17 cavitary lesions (2.2%), there were 8 pneumonic abscesses (1.02%), 7 tuberculous cavities (0.9%), and 2 cystic bronchiectasis (0.28%). In the Turkish population, the prevalence of congenital chest wall deformities, enlarged intraparenchymal lymph nodes, and undi­agnosed pulmonary infection ratios are comparatively high. Thoracic surgeons may face pleural adhesions in one out of three people who have had no history of pulmonary diseases.