Imaging Approach to Disease of the Pleura

Abstract

Diseases of pleura are not only common but also have a significant impact on patients' outcomes. While early detection and treatment are imperative in reducing this burden, many pleural entities present similarly, thus posing a diagnostic dilemma for radiologists requiring critical further workup. While chest radiography, CT, and image-guided thoracentesis are primarily utilized as the initial imaging techniques for the workup of pleural diseases, MRI, and FDG-PET/CT are also frequently employed to investigate the root cause of pleural abnormalities. By elucidating the common imaging features of neoplastic, inflammatory, and infectious pleural pathologies, clinicians can quickly and easily differentiate the various pleural diseases, rapidly reach the correct diagnosis, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.