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Routine Chest Radiography after Thoracentesis
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
Doyle and associates [1] reported on the necessity of routine chest radiography after thoracentesis. They use as their sole indicator the suspicion that a pneumothorax may have occurred as a result of the procedure. Using their criteria of obtaining a post-thoracentesis chest radiograph, they concluded that at least 60% of post-thoracentesis chest radiographs could be avoided. However, it is erroneous to believe that the only reason to obtain a post-thoracentesis chest radiograph is to check for such complications as a pneumothorax.
In truth, the post-thoracentesis chest radiograph can add valuable information, such as the appearance of the underlying lung and pleura that had previously been obscured by the pleural effusion. In addition, the radiograph can give information on how well the pleural space has been evacuated and can act as a baseline for determining how rapidly the pleural fluid returns. The latter can have significant diagnostic and therapeutic implications for the future. For these reasons, I believe that Doyle and colleagues' report may have significantly understated the value of post-thoracentesis radiography.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
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