21st February 2025

A 61-year-old man is being treated on the ward for a right lower lobe pneumonia.

A 61-year-old man is being treated on the ward for a right lower lobe pneumonia. He has a history of COPD and bronchiectasis. After 3 days of treatment, he has persistently high inflammatory markers and a rising oxygen requirement, so a repeat chest X-ray is carried out, which demonstrates a new right-sided effusion. A pleural aspiration is carried out on the ward and 50 ml of clear fluid is obtained, which is sent to the lab for analysis.

Which of the following is true regarding chest imaging following a pleural aspiration?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.