Pleural Diseases: Diagnostic Advances and Evidence-Based Management

This chapter provides a comprehensive review of benign and malignant pleural diseases, including pleural effusion, spontaneous pneumothorax, and malignant pleural mesothelioma, with emphasis on contemporary diagnostic tools such as thoracic ultrasound, thoracoscopy, and pleural fluid biomarker analysis. It also evaluates recent clinical trial evidence informing best practices in pleural interventions, including indwelling pleural catheters, medical thoracoscopy, and systemic therapy options for malignant pleural disease.