Faculty Bibliography

Perioperative medicine is an area of medicine rich with evidence-based studies. However, several areas of perioperative care are lacking in specific guidelines or consensus statements. Sometimes, this is caused by conflicting data from different patient populations, differences in study methodology, or an inability to generalize the findings of patients undergoing one type of procedure to another. Still other areas of perioperative controversies exist because of a paucity of scientific data. This article presents clinical questions in the context of lacking or conflicting data, which may be insufficient to guide decisions with certainty.

Pleural effusion complicating the course of multiple myeloma is common. Myelomatous pleural effusion, in contrast, is distinctly rare. Searching the Medline data base, a total of only 35 previously reported cases could be located. A recent case we cared for prompted us to review the literature in this area. The incidence of myelomatous effusion, possible mechanisms of its formation, and implications for therapy and prognosis are discussed.