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BTS Pleural Disease Guideline 2010

British Thoracic SocietyPleural Disease Guideline Group

August 2010 Vol 65 Supplement II

ThoraxAN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY MEDICINE

65

Vol 65 Supplem

ent II Pages ii1ii76TH

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August 2010

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Journal of theBritish Thoracic Society

Editor-in-ChiefJ A Wedzicha (UK)

EditorS L Johnston (UK)

Associate EditorsJ S Brown (UK)P M A Calverley (UK)M Dusmet (UK)J S Elborn (N Ireland)A J Fisher (UK)J M FitzGerald (Canada)J A Fleetham (Canada)N M Foley (UK)I Hall (UK)J R Hurst (UK)R Hubbard (UK)D A Lomas (UK)D M Mannino (USA)F D Martinez (USA)C Robertson (Australia)B Schonhofer (Germany)G A Silvestri (USA)G I Town (New Zealand)M K B Whyte (UK)

Statistical EditorsJ Gibson (UK)L Tata (UK)

Images EditorsJ M FitzGerald (Canada)J R Mayo (Canada)J C Hogg (Canada)

Letters EditorJ R Hurst (UK)

Lung Alert EditorsA Bhowmik (UK)J Quint (UK)

President, British ThoracicSocietyP Corris

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Aims and Scope: Thorax enjoys an enviableand longstanding reputation for publishingclinical and experimental research articlescovering many disciplines, including pathology, immunology and surgery

International Advisory Board

AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY MEDICINE

BTS Pleural Disease Guideline 2010

British Thoracic Society Pleural Disease Guideline Group:

a sub-group of the British Thoracic Society Standards of Care Committee

The BTS Pleural Disease Guideline is endorsed by:

Royal College of Physicians, London Royal College of Surgeons of England

Royal College of Physicians of EdinburghRoyal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of GlasgowRoyal College of Radiologists

Royal College of AnaesthetistsRoyal College of Pathologists

College of Emergency MedicineSociety for Acute Medicine

Association for Clinical BiochemistryBritish Society of Clinical Cytology

Journal of the British Thoracic Society

Impact Factor: 7.04Editor-in-Chief

J A Wedzicha (UK)

Editor

S L Johnston (UK)

Associate EditorsJ S Brown (UK) J R Hurst (UK)P M A Calverley (UK) D A Lomas (UK)M Dusmet (UK) D M Mannino (USA)J S Elborn (N Ireland) F D Martinez (USA)A J Fisher (UK) C Robertson (Australia)J M FitzGerald (Canada) B Schonhofer (Germany)J A Fleetham (Canada) G A Silvestri (USA)N M Foley (UK) G I Town (New Zealand)I Hall (UK) M K B Whyte (UK)R Hubbard (UK)

Statistical Editors

L Tata (UK)J Gibson (UK)

Images Editors

J M FitzGerald (Canada)J R Mayo (Canada)J C Hogg (Canada)

Letters Editor

J R Hurst (UK)

Lung Alert Editors

A Bhowmik (UK)J Quint (UK)

President, British Thoracic Society

P Corris

Editorial Office

BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, BMA House,Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JR, UKT: +44 (0)20 7383 6147F: +44 (0)20 7383 6668E: thorax@bmjgroup.com

ISSN: 0040-6376 (print)ISSN: 1468-3296 (online)

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BTS Pleural Disease Guideline 2010ii1 Introduction and methods: British Thoracic

Society pleural disease guideline 2010I Du Rand, N Maskell

ii4 Investigation of a unilateral pleural effusion inadults: British Thoracic Society pleural diseaseguideline 2010C Hooper, Y C G Lee, N Maskell, on behalf of theBTS Pleural Guideline Group

ii18 Management of spontaneous pneumothorax:British Thoracic Society pleural diseaseguideline 2010A MacDuff, A Arnold, J Harvey, on behalf of theBTS Pleural Disease Guideline Group

ii32 Management of a malignant pleural effusion:British Thoracic Society pleural diseaseguideline 2010M E Roberts, E Neville, R G Berrisford,G Antunes, N J Ali, on behalf of the BTS PleuralDisease Guideline Group

Online supporting documentation is available atwww.brit-thoracic.org.uk

ii41 Management of pleural infection in adults:British Thoracic Society pleural diseaseguideline 2010H E Davies, R J O Davies, C W H Davies,on behalf of the BTS Pleural Disease GuidelineGroup

ii54 Local anaesthetic thoracoscopy:British Thoracic Society pleural diseaseguideline 2010N M Rahman, N J Ali, G Brown, S J Chapman,R J O Davies