These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: [Diagnosis of pleurisy].
    Author: Maître B, Atassi K, Housset B.
    Journal: Rev Prat; 1997 Jun 15; 47(12):1298-303. PubMed ID: 9248095.
    Abstract:
    Diagnosis of pleural effusion, suggested by chest pain or dyspnea, is assessed by physical examination, chest X-ray sometimes completed by other imaging techniques, and mainly by thoracentesis. Thoracentesis is mandatory for the diagnostic of pleural effusion as three diagnosis are associated with an emergency treatment: pulmonary embolism; hemothorax; empyema. If the fluid is a transudate, no further invasive studies are necessary. If the cause of pleural exsudat cannot be established by a careful history, physical examination and fluid analysis, generally closed pleural biopsy should be done, followed, in absence of an established diagnosis, by thoracoscopy. At this time, less than 10% of the cases remain without explanation, leading to a careful follow-up of patients since a carcinomatous lesion may develop in 1/3 of them.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]