Is chest radiography routinely needed after thoracentesis?

[摘要] Thoracentesis is a minimally invasive procedure usually performed at the bedside that involves insertion of a needle into the pleuralcavity for drainage of fluid.1 Diagnostic thoracentesis should be done in most cases of a newpleural effusion unless the effusion is smalland with a clear diagnosis, or in cases of typical heart failure.Therapeutic thoracentesis, often calledlarge-volume thoracentesis, aims to improvesymptoms such as dyspnea attributed to thepleural effusion by removing at least 1 L ofpleural fluid. The presence of active respiratory symptoms and suspicion of infected pleuraleffusion should lead to thoracentesis as soonas possible.

[学科分类] 卫生学