Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Pleural diseases 

Pleural diseases
Chapter:
Pleural diseases
Author(s):

Robert J.O. Davies

, Fergus V. Gleeson

, Y.C. Gary Lee

, Jose Porcel

, and Fraser Brims

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780199204854.003.1817_update_001

Update:

Investigation—enhanced discussion of distinction between transudative and exudative effusions, use of measurement of ADA activity in diagnosis of tuberculosis, and tumour biomarkers.

Specific causes of effusion and pleural diseases—expanded notes on rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, benign asbestos pleural effusion, benign asbestos-related pleural plaques, and rounded atelectasis.

Pneumothorax—comments on use of diagnostic ultrasound, the role of suction for continuing air leak, the timing of surgery, and use of endobronchial valves.

A relevant case history from Oxford Case Histories in Respiratory Medicine has been added to this chapter.

Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 24 January 2021

Case History—A 40 yr old woman with pleuritic chest pain.

This is a common clinical problem which can complicate a range of lung and systemic diseases. Most cases can be diagnosed by pleural fluid analysis and pleural biopsy, with Light’s criteria making it possible to discriminate between transudates and exudates. These state that a pleural effusion is an exudate if any of the following are present: (1) pleural fluid to serum protein ratio greater than 0.5; (2) pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) greater than two-thirds of the upper limit of normal serum LDH; (3) pleural fluid to serum LDH ratio greater than 0.6....

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.