Pleural effusion medical therapy

Pleural effusion Microchapters
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Prince Tano Djan, BSc, MBChB [2]

Medical Therapy

Treatment aims to:

• Remove the fluid.
• Prevent fluid from building up again.
• Treating the cause of the fluid buildup.
• Therapeutic thoracentesis.

Treatment depends on the underlying cause of the pleural effusion. In some cases, the following may be done:

• Chemotherapy.
• Putting medication into the chest that prevents fluid from building up again after it is drained.