Definition

1. Noun:
   • A medical procedure involving the removal of fluid from the pleural cavity: Thoracentesis is a surgical puncture of the chest wall to aspirate fluid from the pleural space, typically for diagnostic analysis or therapeutic relief.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient underwent a thoracentesis to relieve the pressure caused by the pleural effusion.
  • Analysis of the fluid obtained during the thoracentesis confirmed the diagnosis of pneumonia.

Advanced Usage

• Therapeutic vs. Diagnostic Thoracentesis: The procedure can be performed for different primary purposes.
  • A therapeutic thoracentesis was performed to alleviate the patient's severe shortness of breath.
  • The doctor ordered a diagnostic thoracentesis to determine the cause of the unexplained pleural effusion.

Variants and Related Words

• Pleurocentesis (n): A synonym for thoracentesis.
• Thoracocentesis (n): An alternative spelling for the same procedure.
• Centesis (n): A general term for a surgical puncture to remove fluid.

Synonyms

• Pleural tap: A common informal term for the procedure.
• Chest tap: A descriptive synonym.

Notes on Usage

• Thoracentesis is a technical medical term used primarily in clinical and healthcare contexts. It is not typically used in everyday conversation.
• The procedure is often guided by ultrasound to improve accuracy and safety.

Noun

1. removal of fluid from the chest by centesis for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes