Is chest x-ray necessary after thoracentesis? bilateral pneumothorax

Abstract

Currently, thoracentesis is used to drain accumulated fluids in chest cavity such as; pleural effusion, hemothorax and chylothorax and also for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It is a simple and reliable treatment method which can be used for air drainage in partial pneumothorax cases. After thoracentesis, some complications can occur such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, reexpansion pulmonary edema and organ laceration. Among these complications, pneumothorax is the most frequently seen. In this case report we presented a patient with lung cancer where bilateral pneumothorax developed after thoracentesis.