• Aspiration of fluid or air from the THORACIC CAVITY. It is coupled sometimes with the administration of drugs into the PLEURAL CAVITY.
  NLM Medical Subject Headings
  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
• Removal of fluid from the pleural cavity through a needle inserted between the ribs.
  NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• The removal of excess fluid via needle puncture from the thoracic cavity.
  NCI
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Thoracentesis is the placement of a needle through the skin into the chest cavity to withdraw a sample of fluid.
  Merck Manuals
  Merck & Co., Inc., 2025
• Background Thoracentesis (thoracocentesis) is a core procedural skill for hospitalists, critical care physicians, and emergency physicians. With proper training in both thoracentesis itself and the use of bedside ultrasonography, providers can perform this procedure safely and successfully.
  Medscape
  WebMD, 2025
• Thoracentesis, medical procedure used in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the pleural space--the cavity between the lungs and the thoracic cage. It is most often used to diagnose the cause of pleural effusion, the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space. Pleural...
  Encyclopedia Britannica
  Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025