“…Pleural disease is common, affecting around 360 patients per 100,000 each year globally. It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million individuals will develop pleural effusion in the USA alone [1]. Nonmalignant pleural effusion, including parapneumonic and cardiac effusion, remains the most common cause of pleural disease in the developed world, followed by metastatic pleural malignancy [1].…”