title: Diagnosis and staging of mesothelioma transthoracic ultrasound.
abstract: Various techniques are used for diagnosing mesothelioma including clinical investigation, transthoracic ultrasound, X-ray, computed tomography (CT), sonographic support puncture and thorascoscopy with biopsy. Whereas ultrasound examination of a normal lung is of limited value, it can be very useful in identifying pleural pathological processes. The presence of pleural effusion can substantially enhance the usefulness of ultrasound investigations: the liquid of the pleural effusion acts as an acoustic window and can enable the detection of intrapleural and intrapulmonal processes. Highly soluble transducers can be used to visualise pathological findings at the chest wall, enabling the recognition of pleural effusions and the diagnosis of pleural thickening, tumour tissue and abscesses. Further evidence for diagnosis can be obtained with ultrasound-guided puncture, using one of three techniques: sonographic supported puncture, sonographic-guided puncture without puncture assistance, and sonographic-guided puncture with puncture assistance. Complications such as bleeding, infection and local tumour cell propagation can arise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Thoraxklinik-Heidelberg GmbH, Amalienstrasse 5, D-69126, Germany. f@herth.net
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Herth
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000209:etiology; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D013906:Thoracoscopy; D013909:Thorax / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional