Pleural Effusion

Abstract

AN accumulation of fluid in the pleural space is frequently the primary manifestation of intrathoracic disease. Less commonly it is one of the manifestations of extrathoracic or systemic disease. Careful study of a sample of the fluid may establish or give a clue to the correct diagnosis. The investigation reported in this paper was undertaken primarily to determine which examinations of the fluid had been of most value in revealing the cause of the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space. An inevitable complementary study was a statistical survey of the causes of pleural effusion.The records of the Mayo . . .