{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nMalignant pleural effusion (MPE) greatly influences clinical management and therapeutic decision-making in patients with cancer. Accurate differentiation between MPE and non-MPE is therefore essential. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of traditional ultrasonographic signs and ultrasound findings of adjacent thoracic structures in identifying MPE.Methods\n\nPubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase were searched until 2 May 2025 to identify studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonographic signs using traditional ultrasound (TrUS) and shear wave elastography (SWE) for detecting MPE. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio, predictive values and likelihood ratios were estimated using a random-effects model.Results\n\n10 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria, including nine evaluating TrUS and three investigating SWE. Several ultrasonographic signs were highly specific for MPE, including pleural nodules (99%), diaphragmatic nodules (96%) and pleural thickening (93%). Concomitant chest wall invasion, hepatic metastasis and lung consolidation showed near-absolute specificity (99-100%). Nevertheless, the sensitivity of these signs did not exceed 60%. Meanwhile, SWE showed balanced diagnostic performance, with sensitivity ranging from 76.36% to 100% and specificity ranging from 59.09% to 94.40%, depending on the cut-off values used.Conclusion\n\nTrUS can be considered in the working diagnosis of MPE, as pleural and diaphragmatic nodules, pleural thickening, chest wall invasion, lung involvement and liver metastasis show high specificity for MPE. However, further studies are needed to investigate the role of SWE in diagnosing MPE.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.",
    "These authors contributed equally to this work.",
    "Ibrahim Tirichine Public Hospital, Blida, Algeria.",
    "Blida University 01, Blida, Algeria.",
    "Department of Radiology, Stanford Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.",
    "Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.",
    "University of Nouakchott Al Aasrya, Faculty of Medicine, Nouakchott, Mauritania.",
    "Pleural Medicine and Clinical Ultrasound Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain.",
    "Respiratory Research Unit PLUZ, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Zealand University Hospital, Naestved, Denmark.",
    "Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.",
    "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.",
    "Odense Respiratory Research Unit (ODIN), Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.",
    "Respiratory Department, Northumbria Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK.",
    "Department of Radiology, Stanford Medicine, Stanford, CT, USA.",
    "Faculty of Medical Technology, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya.",
    "City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY, USA.",
    "Faculty of Medicine, Foča, University of East Sarajevo, Lukavica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.",
    "Centre for Innovative Pleural Research, North Metro Health Services, and Institute for Respiratory Health and University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.",
    "Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya.",
    "College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.",
    "Oxford Respiratory Trials Unit, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.",
    "Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ahmed Msherghi"
    },
    {
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        2,
        3,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mohamed Smail Aissani"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ann N Leung"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Kyrillos Mahrous Gerges"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Mohamedhen Vall Nounou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "José M Porcel",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2734-8061"
    },
    {
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        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Uffe Bodtger"
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        11
      ],
      "name": "Christian B Laursen",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6382-9906"
    },
    {
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        12
      ],
      "name": "Avinash Aujayeb",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0859-5550"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13
      ],
      "name": "Bo Yan Fan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Eman Abdulwahed"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        15
      ],
      "name": "Hajer Farrara"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        16
      ],
      "name": "Munder Lateiresh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        17
      ],
      "name": "Y C Gary Lee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        18,
        19
      ],
      "name": "Muhammed Elhadi",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6406-4212"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        20,
        21
      ],
      "name": "Najib M Rahman"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cd54gnk4tkvep.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1183/23120541.01658-2025",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13750590",
  "id": "cd54gnk4tkvep",
  "issns": [
    "2312-0541"
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  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43011977",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2740|Pleural and Pulmonary Diseases"
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  "openalex": "W7164318231",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13750590?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13750590",
  "pmid": "43011977",
  "published": "2026-11-09",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cd54gnk4tkvep.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-12T15:23:59Z",
      "native_id": "MED:43011977",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43011977"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2740|Pleural and Pulmonary Diseases",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Diagnostic performance of thoracic ultrasound and shear wave elastography in detecting malignant pleural effusion: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of different ultrasonographic signs.",
  "title_text": "Diagnostic performance of thoracic ultrasound and shear wave elastography in detecting malignant pleural effusion: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of different ultrasonographic signs.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-13T03:21:09Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cd54gnk4tkvep",
  "venue": "ERJ open research",
  "versions": []
}