Abstract
Transthoracic ultrasonography is an essential tool for the diagnosis and investigation of pleural disease. It can identify and characterise pleural effusions, pleural thickening and pleurally based masses, and ultrasound guidance has become standard of care for transthoracic procedures such as pleurocentesis and thoracostomy tube insertion. Ultrasound-assisted fine needle aspiration and closed pleural biopsy (Abrams or cutting needle) of lesions arising from the pleura are safe procedures with high diagnostic yield. Transthoracic ultrasound performed by clinicians confidently excludes pneumothorax with a sensitivity exceeding that of chest radiography. Recent advances in the field of transthoracic ultrasonography include the demonstration that biopsies can be performed safely on pleural masses even without associated effusions, that an ultrasound-guided low supradiaphragmatic approach to closed pleural biopsy increases diagnostic yield, and that in the vast majority of pleural effusions, an image-guided diagnostic strategy with ultrasound-assisted closed pleural biopsy has high yield, and is an alternative to thoracoscopy.
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Gregory Calligaro and Coenraad FN Koegelenberg declare no conflicts of interest.
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Calligaro, G.L., Koegelenberg, C.F.N. Pleural ultrasound-guided interventions: advances and future potentials. Curr Respir Care Rep 3, 45–51 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13665-014-0075-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13665-014-0075-3