Intrapleural t-PA-DNase therapy improved fluid drainage in patients with pleural infection and reduced the frequency of surgical referral and the duration of the hospital stay. Treatment with DNase alone or t-PA alone was ineffective. (Funded by an unrestricted educational grant to the University of Oxford from Roche UK and by others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN57454527.).

Negative-pressure ventilation results in superior oxygenation that is unrelated to lung perfusion and may be explained by more effective inflation of lung volume during both inspiration and expiration.

No abstract

Pleural disease is a problem of global significance which causes significant morbidity and mortality. Pleural disease is usually first suspected on chest x‐ray but further imaging, often ultrasound, is usually required as part of the diagnostic work‐up. Complex imaging with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET)‐CT are less often performed but are routinely required in patients with mesothelioma and occasionally required in patients with pleural infection and other pleural diseases. Cross‐sectional imaging may be used to suggest the diagnosis of pleural disease, quantify disease severity, guide biopsy, and even predict prognosis. This review will focus on the contributions of CT, MRI, and PET to the management of pleural disease with discussion of their relative strengths and weaknesses. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;32:1275–1286. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.