. The American journal of roentgenology, radium therapy and nuclear medicine . the aspiratingneedle finally clears the diagnosis. If re-peated aspirations are also negative, pro-viding time will permit, careful and re-peated roentgen ray examinations may in acertain number of cases clear the uncer-tainty. Pleural effusions, no matter howsmall, seldom remain stationary; even inold cases they usually increase slowly, sothat there is a steady change in the con-tour of the shadows. On the other hand,pleuritic thickenings alone have a ten-dency toward slow but progressive diminu-tion. If the case h
. The American journal of roentgenology, radium therapy and nuclear medicine . the aspiratingneedle finally clears the diagnosis. If re-peated aspirations are also negative, pro-viding time will permit, careful and re-peated roentgen ray examinations may in acertain number of cases clear the uncer-tainty. Pleural effusions, no matter howsmall, seldom remain stationary; even inold cases they usually increase slowly, sothat there is a steady change in the con-tour of the shadows. On the other hand,pleuritic thickenings alone have a ten-dency toward slow but progressive diminu-tion. If the case has been under observa-tion before the reaccumulation has occur-red, comparison with previous roentgeno-grams may assist in arriving at a diagno-sis. Special attention should be paid to thesite of the old sinus tracts which are par-ticularly favored locations for reaccumula-tions of fluid. Similar difficulties are encountered inthe roentgen ray examinations of caseswhich have never been operated and whichwere treated merely by aspiration. In general it may be stated that the. shadow of pleuritic thickening alone israther more clear cut in detail than whenfluid is present, as the latter produces acertain amount of haziness. Unless there is a specific contra-indica-tion all draining cases should be examinedfrom time to time roentgenographicaU}.
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