Pleural effusion is a condition in which fluid is abnormally accumulated in the chest, often causing symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain and fatigue. However, some patients are unable to find the cause during the examination, which is confusing. This article will ** this issue and analyze the possible causes from different angles.
First of all, we need to be clear that there are many different causes of pleural effusion, including but not limited to infection, lung cancer, heart disease, liver disease, and pleural disease, to name a few. These conditions can be diagnosed by clinical examination, imaging, laboratory tests, and tissue biopsy. However, in some individual cases, the exact cause of pleural effusion may not be determined despite various tests.
Secondly, this condition may be due to the limitations of the examination method. For example, routine x-rays and CT scans can be used to detect pleural effusions and possible lesions, but may not be sensitive for some small abnormalities. In addition, there are certain limitations to the method of examination of liquid samples. Sometimes, the amount of fluid produced by the patient may not be sufficient to provide valuable information, or cytology or biochemical analysis of the liquid sample is not clearly indicated.
Third, some patients may have complex or rare diseases**. In the medical field, there are some conditions that are classified as "rare diseases" or "difficult diseases", that is, diseases that are relatively rare, unknown, or complex in clinical terms. These diseases may require more time and in-depth research to diagnose. In such cases, the patient may need to seek a second opinion or go to a specialist hospital for further diagnosis and**.
In addition, intra-abdominal disease can also cause pleural effusion. For example, intra-abdominal malignancies, such as ovarian or colorectal cancer, may cause pleural effusions through lymphatic vessels or direct invasion of the diaphragm. Therefore, imaging of the abdominal cavity should be considered for unexplained pleural effusions to rule out these possibilities.
Finally, we cannot rule out the influence of factors such as medical equipment or technology. In some cases, the patient may undergo multiple tests and**, particularly procedures such as puncture and drainage of pleural effusion, which may lead to infection or interfere with subsequent test results. Therefore, in difficult cases, the correct diagnosis and diagnosis need to be comprehensively judged by considering the patient's medical history, signs, various examination results, and the doctor's clinical experience. December Creation Incentive Program