Pleural Fluid Analysis: Maximizing Diagnostic Yield in the Pleural Effusion Evaluation.

Establishing the cause of a pleural effusion can be challenging. Analysis of pleural fluid (PF) is a powerful tool to determine the cause of a pleural effusion. Surprisingly, despite the diagnostic power of PF analysis (PFA), it is often underused. This review provides a practical framework to maximize the diagnostic potential of the PFA. We describe the role of a PFA in establishing the cause of a pleural effusion. We also discuss challenges and limitations of PFA.