History of Present Illness A 67-year-old Caucasian man went to his general practitioner because of mild exertional dyspnea. Physical examination revealed reduction in respiratory sounds in the lower right hemithorax….
Chest Tubes Chest tubes are frequently used in the practice of pulmonary medicine. Indeed, in 1995, it was estimated that 1,330,000 chest tubes were placed in the United States (1)….
Thoracentesis (Diagnostic and Therapeutic) and Pleural Biopsy Thomsen et al. (1) have created an excellent video on performing a thoracentesis, and watching this video is recommended before one performs his…
Thoracoscopy Although thoracoscopy has been a part of thoracic surgical practice for many years, the advent of video-assisted techniques has greatly expanded the indications and the uses of this procedure….
Other Pleural Diseases PATHOGENESIS OF PLEURAL FIBROSIS Most of the diseases discussed in this chapter deal with pleural fibrosis. It is therefore appropriate to start this chapter with a brief…
Chylothorax and Pseudochylothorax At times, pleural fluid is milky or at least turbid. When the milkiness or turbidity persists after centrifugation, it is almost always due to a high lipid…
Hemothorax Hemothorax is the presence of a significant amount of blood in the pleural space. Most hemothoraces result from penetrating or nonpenetrating chest trauma. An occasional hemothorax results from iatrogenic…
Pneumothorax A pneumothorax is air in the pleural space, that is, air between the lung and the chest wall. Pneumothoraces can be divided into spontaneous pneumothoraces, which occur without antecedent…
Pleural Effusion Due to Miscellaneous Diseases ASBESTOS EXPOSURE The exposure to asbestos is definitely associated with the occurrence of benign exudative pleural effusions. Incidence Epler et al. (1) reviewed the…
Pleural Effusion Due to Drug Reactions Adverse reactions to drugs produce only a small percentage of all pleural effusions. Because the pleural disease in most cases rapidly resolves when the…
