Thoracentesis is a procedure in which a doctor uses a needle and catheter to remove excess fluid from the space between your lungs and the wall of your chest, known as the pleural space. You might ...

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive procedure that doctors use to diagnose and treat chest conditions. During a VATS procedure, a surgeon inserts a thin tube with a ...

A pleurectomy is a surgical procedure to remove part or all of the pleura, a membrane that lines the lungs and chest cavity. The procedure treats empyema — an infection of the pleural cavity — and ...