Benign pleural diseases

The pleural space is a potential space under normal physiologic circumstanc es. It envelops the lung, the mediastinum, the diaphragm and the chest wall . A thin film of pleural fluid provides lubrication for the two pleural lay ers; only 2-10 ml of pleural fluid is present in healthy people. For the pu rposes of this review, pleural abnormalities will be divided into pleural e ffusion, pneumothorax, and pleural calcification. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.