Approach to the Patient
Approach to the Patient Whenever a patient with an abnormal chest radiograph is evaluated, the possibility of a pleural effusion should be considered. Increased densities on the chest radiograph are…
Clinical Manifestations and Useful Tests
Clinical Manifestations and Useful Tests Normally, the pleural space contains only a few milliliters of pleural fluid. If fluid in the pleural space is detected on a radiologic examination, it…
Radiographic Examinations
Radiographic Examinations PLEURAL EFFUSIONS Typical Arrangement of Free Pleural Fluid Two main factors influence the distribution of free fluid in the pleural space. First, the pleural fluid accumulates in the…
Cytokines and the Pleura
Cytokines and the Pleura Cytokines are soluble peptides secreted by cells that affect the behavior of either the same or nearby cells through nonenzymatic means. Often they are glycopeptides and…
Animal Models in Pleural Investigation
Animal Models in Pleural Investigation The pleural space is involved in many different disease processes. Animal models of pleural disease offer the opportunity to answer many questions regarding the pathophysiology…
Physiological Effects of Pneumothorax and Pleural Effusion
Physiological Effects of Pneumothorax and Pleural Effusion In this chapter, the effects of pleural air or pleural fluid on pleural pressures, pulmonary function and gas exchange, the diaphragm, the heart,…
Physiology of the Pleural Space
Physiology of the Pleural Space The pleural space is the coupling system between the lung and the chest wall, and, accordingly, it is a crucial feature of the breathing apparatus….
Anatomy of the Pleura
Anatomy of the Pleura The pleura is the serous membrane that covers the lung parenchyma, the mediastinum, the diaphragm, and the rib cage. This structure is divided into the visceral…
Arrhythmias
Arrhythmias Cardiac arrhythmias were first noted in antiquity, when physicians began to palpate the arterial pulse. Hippocrates noted that a slow pulse in elderly men heralded sudden death, and Galen…
Heart Failure
Heart Failure Heart failure is a common, progressive, and usually lethal syndrome that represents a final common pathway by which a variety of disease processes impair cardiac function. In the…
