Etiology, Prevalence, and Epidemiology Pleural effusion is the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space resulting from disruption of the homeostatic forces responsible for the movement of pleural fluid. Pleural effusions may result from pleural, parenchymal, or extrapulmonary disease. Approximately…
Pneumothorax is the presence of air between the parietal and visceral pleura in the pleural cavity. It is caused most frequently by trauma or blunt or penetrating injury, which may be accidental or iatrogenic. If it is not caused by…
Lung Transplantation Complications Lung transplantation can prolong life in a variety of diseases that cause progressive respiratory failure. As of 2015, more than 55,000 adult lung transplantations and almost 4000 heart-lung transplantations had been performed worldwide, more than 3500 a…
Chest radiography is the primary imaging modality used in the intensive care unit (ICU), given its portability, rapid image acquisition, and immediate bedside return of information on the preview screen. Of consequence, it is of utmost importance that both radiologists…
A spectrum of cardiopulmonary diseases can be treated surgically. Surgical procedures in the thorax include lung resection, lung transplantation, cardiovascular and mediastinal surgery, as well as pleural and cavitary space reduction procedures. This chapter reviews the surgical procedures, indications, and…
Blunt thoracic trauma is a common indication for hospital admission, with the predominant cause of trauma being motor vehicle collisions. The thorax is the fourth most injured area in unrestrained passengers, but it is the most commonly injured area in…
Radiation therapy is an important modality in the management of patients with intrathoracic malignant neoplasms and primary and secondary chest wall neoplasms. Radiation therapy for these tumors usually results in radiation of the adjacent lung, and radiation-induced lung injury has…
Etiology The number of drugs recognized to cause an adverse pulmonary reaction of one kind or another is reported to be more than 600 and continues to rise yearly with the advent of new medications. Pharmacologic groups associated with pulmonary…
Aspiration refers to the misdirection of contents of the oral or upper gastrointestinal tract that have passed through the trachea and larynx and entered the lung. The diagnosis rests mostly on the history of presenting illness, medical history, vital signs,…
The most common pneumoconioses are silicosis, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and asbestosis (see Chapters 61 and 62 ). There are numerous rare pneumoconioses related to variable occupational dust exposures. Hard metal lung disease, aluminum pneumoconiosis, talc pneumoconiosis, welders' pneumoconiosis, and chronic…