Pleural Disease Section

There is potential to reduce reliance on CT imaging and patient radiation exposure, decrease the need for invasive diagnostic procedures, and enhance diagnostic precision.

Rapid pleurodesis combines prompt symptom control with the potential for pleural symphysis in a shorter time frame, allowing for potential lifestyle benefits while minimizing the risk of IPC-related complications.

The pulmonary and medical oncology community must start to consider pleural complications as a potential risk of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Considerable heterogeneity exists in the management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). American and European guidelines have been grappling with this question for decades: What is the best way to manage PSP? A 2023 randomized, controlled trial (Marx et al. AJRCCM) sought to answer this. The study recruited 379 adults aged 18 to 55 years between…

Optimal management of primary spontaneous (PSP) and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) remains an area of ongoing debate, with both CHEST and the British Thoracic Society (BTS) offering guidelines to address management decisions. The consensus for treatment of PSP depends on the size of the pneumothorax; if smaller than 2-3 cm, the patient can be observed…

After more than a decade, the British Thoracic Society (BTS) released updated guidelines for pleural disease (Roberts ME , et al. Thorax 2023; 78, s1-s42). Their focus includes spontaneous pneumothorax, undiagnosed unilateral pleural effusion, pleural infections, and malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Separate statements for pleural procedures (Asciak R et al. Thorax. 2023;78:s43-s68) and pleural mesothelioma…