DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2014.v02i12.028

Pages: 987-990

Pleural effusion in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is poorly understood and rarely reported in the literature. CML has been reported to show extra medullary involvement in only 10% cases that involves lymph nodes and spleen. Pleura are extremely uncommon site of extra medullary involvement in CML. When the pleural effusion is caused by leukemic pleural infiltration, the differential white blood cell count of the effusion becomes identical to that of the peripheral blood, fluid cytology revealing leukemic blasts. We report a case of 40 years old male patient who was referred to our hospital with 10 days history of fever, dyspnoea and cough. He was diagnosed one year ago as a case of chronic phase CML with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) and BCR/ABL gene translocation positive, since one year he is on imatinib. X-Ray chest and computerized tomography (CT) chest demonstrated gross left sided pleural effusion. Diagnostic thoracocentesis revealed pleural effusion infiltrated by myeloblasts which are suggestive of extramedullary blast crisis.