Pleural ultrasound-guided interventions: advances and future potentials

Sonographic Indicators for Treatment Choice and Follow-Up in Patients with Pleural Effusion

“…More than two-thirds of all patients had loculated effusion with the complex septate echo structure in half of them. This study and literature data confirmed that existence of intrapleural septa may predict a more complicated clinical course [ 6 , 8 – 10 , 15 – 20 ]. Our results and reported series show that the smaller number of complications and high success rate of thoracentesis even in complex loculated collections can be explained by the particular choice of the point of puncture in the skin mark-based method and the constant view and following of the needle during the real-time US-guided intervention [ 13 , 14 , 16 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Normalising lung ultrasound

“…[7] As respiratory physicians became more adept at lung ultrasonography, it naturally followed for ultrasound to be used in clinical practice when performing diagnostic interventions involving the chest wall, pleural space and lungs. [8] Sub-pleural pneumonia or lung masses are recognised on lung ultrasound as hypoechoic lesions, associated with irregular borders where the mass borders normal lung tissue. [9] It is this ability to identify lung masses abutting the pleura that allows diagnostic samples to be taken by means of fine-needle aspiration or biopsy under ultrasound guidance.…”