Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Diagnostic approach to pleural diseases: new tricks for an old trade
Fabien Maldonado1, Robert J Lentz1, Richard W Light1
1Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1161 21st Avenue South, T-1218 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
Abstract:
The burden of pleural diseases has substantially increased in the past decade because of a rise in the incidence of pleural space infections and pleural malignancies in a patient population that is older and more immunocompromised and has more comorbidities. This complexity increasingly requires minimally invasive diagnostic options and tailored management. Implications for patients are such that the limitations of current diagnostic methods need to be addressed by multidisciplinary teams of investigators from the fields of imaging, biology, and engineering. Ignored for a long time as an epiphenomenon at the crossroad of many unrelated medical problems, pleural diseases are finally getting the attention they deserve and have spurred a vibrant and exciting field of research.
Related Concept Videos
Pleural Disorders: Types and Brief Description
Pleural Effusion II: Symptoms and Management
A pleural effusion is the abnormal collection of fluid between the parietal and visceral pleura layers of tissue that form the lining of the lungs and chest cavity. It can occur independently or due to surrounding parenchymal diseases, such as infection, malignancy, or inflammatory conditions.
Clinical Manifestations:
Pleural Effusion I: Introduction
There are two main types of pleural effusion: transudative and exudative. They are differentiated using Light's...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
Endoscopic Studies II: Thoracocentesis
Description
Excess pleural fluid or air may accumulate in some respiratory disorders in the thoracic cavity. To treat pleural effusion, a physician conducts thoracentesis by carefully piercing the chest wall and entering...
Pneumothorax-II
Clinical Manifestations:

