Pleural Effusion
What is Pleural Effusion? “PLEURAL EFFUSION IS FLUID COLLECTION OUTSIDE THE LUNGS DUE TO DISEASE. IT NEEDS URGENT EVALUATION FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS AND PROPER TREATMENT.” Pleural effusion is a collection of excess fluid in the space between the two layers of pleura. This can compress the lung and may cause shortness of breath. A pleural effusion is usually the result of damage to the pleural membrane and may be due to many disease processes – your doctor will discuss the specific cause of your effusion with you. Treatment involves draining the excess fluid from the pleural space via a needle or a thin chest drain/tube which is inserted through the chest wall into the space between the two layers of pleura. This enables the excess fluid to drain and usually stays in place until the fluid has drained and the lung has re- expanded. (This is decided by chest x-ray or sometimes a scan is needed). What is the cause of the pleural effusion? Pleural effusions wil