Thoracocentesis is a procedure which has both diagnostic and therapeutic value.
When the findings from either thoracic auscultation or percussion suggest a pleural effusion, thoracocentesis can both confirm its presence and provide a specimen for examination.
Analysis of the pleural fluid may in turn help you to determine the underlying disease process and develop a therapeutic plan.
Drainage of pleural effusion via thoracocentesis is beneficial in removing large volumes of fluid from the thorax.
Immediately following this drainage, some horses show increased pain, associated with loss of the ‘cushion’ of fluid in the pleural space.
Removal of this fluid decreases respiratory effort and is beneficial in the resolution of an infectious process in the thorax.
In horses with thoracic neoplasia and large volumes of pleural effusion, thoracocentesis and chest drainage may resolve signs of dyspnoea and respiratory distress.
