The Role of CT Pulmonary Angiography in the Investigation of Unilateral Pleural Effusions

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is frequently cited as a common primary cause of unilateral pleural effusion, but in clinical practice appears to be uncommon.

In order to evaluate this observation, CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was performed in consecutive patients presenting to a single centre with a new uninvestigated unilateral pleural effusion and no clear cause and was supplemented by delayed-phase thoracic CT, optimized for visualization of the pleura.