Thoracentesis is a procedure to remove fluid from the space between the lining of the outside of the lungs (pleura) and the wall of the chest.
Alternative Names
Pleural fluid aspiration; Pleural tap
How the Test is Performed
The test is done in the following way:
- You sit on a bed or on the edge of a chair or bed. Your head and arms rest on a table.
- The skin around the procedure site is cleaned. A local numbing medicine (anesthetic) is injected into the skin.
- A needle is placed through the skin and muscles of the chest wall into the space around the lungs, called the pleural space.
- Fluid is drawn out with the needle.
- The fluid may be sent to a laboratory for testing (pleural fluid analysis).
