PURPOSE OF REVIEW Pleural biopsies are often necessary if a pleural effusion remains undiagnosed after radiological imaging and pleural fluid analysis. There are many methods of obtaining pleural biopsies, including blind or image-guided procedures, closed-bevel or cutting-edge needles, and percutaneous or thoracoscopic approaches. This article will review recent research relating to these meth...

INTRODUCTION Blind percutaneous pleural biopsy has traditionally been performed to investigate the etiology of exudative pleural effusion in which the initial thoracentesis has been nondiagnostic. In view of the increasing use of image-guided and thoracoscopic pleural biopsies, this study examines the role of blind Abrams pleural biopsy in the investigation of pleural effusion in a large urban ...

BACKGROUND Pleural effusion is the abnormal collection of fluid in the pleural space resulting from excessive fluid production or decreased absorption and it is one of the most common clinical conditions that we come across in pulmonology clinics and in hospitals. The objective of prospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic role of Abrams Needle Biopsy in Exudative Pleural Effusion. METH...

Hepatobiliary conditions should be considered in the differential diagnosis of right pleural effusion. Here we present the illustrative images of thoracic empyema due to migrated gallstones in a woman who was treated for laparoscopic cholecystectomy one year before. The gallstones were obtained unexpectedly during a thoracentesis with aid of an Abrams needle. This rare complication is discussed...

BACKGROUND Closed pleural biopsy (CPB) in patients with malignant pleural effusion is less sensitive than cytology. Ultrasound-assisted CPB allows biopsies to be performed in the lower thoracic parietal pleura, where secondary spread from pleural metastases is initially more likely to be found. We analyzed whether choosing the point of entry for CPB with thoracic ultrasound assistance influence...

This is the report of a case of breakage and detachment in the pleural cavity of the tip of a nearly new Abrams needle during performance of a pleural biopsy. We have not found any reference in the literature to similar accidents and do not know what later complications may be produced by the metal body in the pleural cavity. In this case, there have been no complications 12 months after the in...