ABSTRACT
I. Introduction Parapneumonic pleural effusions (PPE) present a frequently difficult diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in clinical practice because of their heterogeneity. Their spectrum ranges from a small pleural effusion that does not require specific therapy to multiloculated pleural empyema with pleural fibrosis, trapped lung, systemic sepsis, respiratory failure, and metastatic infection. Today, physicians are warranted to play an increasing role in the timely and modern management, with new available techniques, of the patients with PPE and pleural empyema (1).
