title: [Diagnosis of pleurisy].
abstract: Diagnosis of pleural effusion, suggested by chest pain or dyspnea, is assessed by physical examination, chest X-ray sometimes completed by other imaging techniques, and mainly by thoracentesis. Thoracentesis is mandatory for the diagnostic of pleural effusion as three diagnosis are associated with an emergency treatment: pulmonary embolism; hemothorax; empyema. If the fluid is a transudate, no further invasive studies are necessary. If the cause of pleural exsudat cannot be established by a careful history, physical examination and fluid analysis, generally closed pleural biopsy should be done, followed, in absence of an established diagnosis, by thoracoscopy. At this time, less than 10% of the cases remain without explanation, leading to a careful follow-up of patients since a carcinomatous lesion may develop in 1/3 of them.
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie, Centre hospitalier intercommunal, Créteil.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maître
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Atassi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Housset
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D010994:Pleura / Q000473:pathology; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D013906:Thoracoscopy
vernacular_title: Diagnostic des pleurésies.