Abstract:
This was descriptive cross sectional study done in Omdurman teaching hospital during the period of 2016To 2017. The problem of study was that evaluation of the pleural effusion needs repetitive follow up with chest x-ray or Computerized Tomography scan which is harmful and expensive, ultrasound can detect any degree of pleural effusion and detect most of causes of it. The objective of study was to assess the pleural effusion by ultrasound.
This study applied among50patients suffering of pleural effusion came for follow up by chest x-rays. The data was collected by data collection sheet design specially for purpose of this study then classified and analyzed by using statistical package for social science (SPSS). The study found that 64% of pleural effusion patients were male while 36% were female , the mean age group 50.28 years , 34% within age group 36-65 years, 32% had family history of pleural effusion. Regarding the degree of pleural effusion by ultrasound the study found that 42% of the patients had mild pleural effusion, 40% had moderate while 18% had massive pleural effusion 32% of them causes by cardiac diseases and 26% causes by pulmonary diseases. The study found that the most associated findingby ultrasound with pleural effusion was ascities 48% of cases.
The study concluded that ultrasound was effective tool in assessment of pleural effusion, it can assess the degreeof effusion, detect the causes of effusion and associated pathological finding.
The study recommended that further studies should be done by larger sample volume to correlate the type of fluid in pleural effusion with causes and associated pathological conditions.
