ABSTRACT
Abnormalities of the pleura and pleural space are caused by a variety of disorders including infection, trauma, inflammation and neoplasms. Although some patients can be managed conservatively, interventional procedures including pleural fluid aspiration with or without placement of a drainage catheter, or pleural biopsies are frequently performed for either diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. The type of intervention depends on a spectrum of clinical and imaging features including symptoms, extent of disease and the etiology of the pleural abnormality. This review discusses the more common transthoracic interventional procedures that are used to diagnose and treat pleural disease, including thoracentesis, pleural catheter placement and pleural biopsy.
