Pleural effusion: the thorn sign. Not a rare finding

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Pulmonology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Pleural effusion diagnosis can be challenging.
• Identifying specific radiographic signs aids in diagnosis.
• The lateral end of the minor fissure is a key anatomical area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the diagnostic utility of the
• thorn sign
• in identifying right-sided pleural effusion.
• To determine the prevalence of the
• thorn sign
• in patients with pleural effusion.
• To assess the specificity of the
• thorn sign
• by comparing with normal chest x-rays.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of chest x-rays from 157 patients with confirmed pleural effusion.
• Evaluation for the presence of a thorn-like fluid protrusion at the lateral end of the minor fissure.
• Comparison with a control group of 146 normal chest x-rays from young patients.

Main Results:

• The
• thorn sign
• was identified in 11% (17 out of 157) of patients with pleural effusion.
• None of the 146 normal chest x-rays exhibited the
• thorn sign
• .
• The sign was specifically associated with right-sided pleural effusions.

Conclusions:

• The
• thorn sign
• is a novel and useful radiographic finding.
• Its presence is indicative of right-sided pleural effusion.
• This sign can aid radiologists in the diagnosis of pleural effusions.