Current situation and treatment progress of parapneumonic pleural effusion

Pleural cavity infection has high morbidity and mortality in the world, its incidence is increasing in all age groups.Not all pleural infections are associated with lung disease, many patients did not found pathogenic microorganisms in pleural effusion.A part of patients failed to timely diagnosis and volved into complicated parapneumonic pleural effusion or empyema, even affected the treatment outcome.The treatment of parapneumonic pleural effusion should be based on the bacteria characteristics, biochemical analysis of pleural effusion, early diagnosis, timely antibiotic treatment and the necessary pleural drainage.Pleural effusion characteristics, particularly pH, are useful indicators for assessing the nature of pleural effusion.Fibrinolytic agents can promote drainage of pleural effusion and disease recovery.If previous treatment failed, you can consider surgery, such as video assisted thoracic surgery, decortication by thoracotomy. Key words: Parapneumonic pleural effusion; Empyema; Current situation; Research progress