August 2024 Imaging Case of the Month: An Unexplained Pleural Effusion

Abstract

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Clinical History: A 65-year-old woman with presents with intermittent right-sided chest pain and shortness of breath / dyspnea on exertion for several months’ duration. The patient’s past medical history includes a history of myocardial infarction with stent placement and atrial fibrillation. She has no prior surgical history aside from carpal tunnel release and tonsillectomy. The patient is a lifelong non-smoker, she reports no allergies and she drinks alcohol only socially and denies illicit drug use. Her medications include Xarelto (rivaroxaban) for her atrial fibrillation, alendronate, atorvastatin, metoprolol, and pantoprazole in addition to a multivitamin. On physical examination the patient was obese but not in acute distress, with normal blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate. Her pulmonary and cardiovascular examination was unremarkable aside for dullness to percussion over the right posterior and lateral thorax, and her musculoskeletal examination did not disclose any abnormalities. She was neurologically intact. Oxygen saturation at …

Keywords

• rheumatoid arthritis
• pleural effusion
• exudate
• chest x-ray
• ct scan
• histology
• pleural biopsy
• ultrasound
• thoracic ultrasound
• pleural peel