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Thoracentesis is an invaluable tool for assessing pleural disease.
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The use of ultrasonography by trained professionals has enhanced this procedure’s safety and feasibility.
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Routine ultrasonography enhances preprocedural, intraprocedural, and postprocedural assessment of the pleural space.
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As equipment becomes more available and portable, its use is anticipated to grow and possibly become the standard of care.
Thoracentesis and Thoracic Ultrasound: State of the Art in 2013
Section snippets
Key points
Diagnostic and therapeutic thoracentesis
The clinical or radiological recognition of a pleural effusion suggests an abnormal pathophysiological state resulting in an imbalance between absorption and production of fluid in the pleural space.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Thoracentesis is often divided into 2 categories, namely, diagnostic aspiration and therapeutic removal. Diagnostic thoracentesis is performed to obtain a small volume of fluid (50–100 mL) for the purpose of analysis, which is accomplished with a single percutaneous needle
Summary
Thoracentesis is an invaluable tool for assessing pleural disease. The use of US by trained professionals has enhanced this procedure’s safety and feasibility. Routine US enhances the preprocedural, intraprocedural, and postprocedural assessment of the pleural space. As equipment becomes more available and portable, its use is anticipated to grow and possibly become the standard of care.
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Cited by (20)
Basic and Advanced Pleural Procedures: Coding and Professional Fees Update for Pulmonologists
2020, ChestCitation Excerpt :This aids in the assessment of the thickness of the lining of the pleura and, when pleural malignancy is suspected, can identify pleural metastases. Immediate preprocedural ultrasonography has become the standard of care to help to identify the appropriate site for drainage, to avoid septations, and to decrease the rate of complications.11-16 For ultrasound imaging of the pleural space to determine that there is resolution of fluid or that there is no pneumothorax and that is not associated with another procedure, the code 76604 for chest scan only is used.
DIAGNOSTIC APPROACH IN PLEURAL EFFUSION
2015, Revista Medica Clinica Las CondesMalignant pleural effusion diagnosis and therapy
2023, Open Life SciencesManaging complications of pleural procedures
2021, Journal of Thoracic DiseasePreanalytical phase in pleural fluid analysis
2021, Journal of Laboratory and Precision MedicineUltrasound-Guided Thoracic Procedures
2019, The Ultimate Guide to Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Procedures
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Disclosures: None.