Spinal epidural involvement in pleural lymphomas developing from long-standing tuberculous pyothorax or pleuritis.

Spinal epidural involvement was noted in 3 patients with pleural lymphoma developing from long-standing pyothorax or pleuritis. Two patients presented with cord compression syndrome and pleural tumor. The other patient showed rapidly progressive signs of cord compression 8 months after the diagnosis of pleural lymphoma. Biopsy and autopsy findings revealed that both the epidural masses and the pleural tumors had the pathological features of malignant lymphoma. Several reports have described pleural lymphomas complicated with chronic tuberculous pyothorax. However, as far as we know, there is no previous report associating spinal epidural compression with pyothorax-related pleural lymphoma. Spinal involvement should be included as a noteworthy complication of pleural lymphoma developing from long-standing tuberculous pyothorax.