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Updated: Aug 9, 2025

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Pleural Space Infections
Sean P F Foley1, John Scott Parrish1
1Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA 92134, USA.
Abstract:
Pleural space infections have been a well-recognized clinical syndrome for over 4000 years and continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, our collective understanding of the causative pathophysiology has greatly expanded over the last few decades, as have our treatment options. The aim of this paper is to review recent updates in our understanding of this troublesome disease and to provide updates on established and emerging treatment modalities for patients suffering from pleural space infections. With that, we present a review and discussion synthesizing the recent pertinent literature surrounding the history, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of these challenging infections.
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