What is pleurodesis?

Pleurodesis is a medical procedure designed to adhere the lung to the chest wall, typically achieved by creating a reaction between the pleural layers. This procedure is primarily utilized to treat recurrent pleural effusions or pneumothorax by eliminating the space between the pleura, which can lead to the accumulation of fluid or air. During pleurodesis, various agents such as talc, doxycycline, or other sclerosing agents may be introduced into the pleural space to provoke an inflammatory response, resulting in fibrosis and adhesion of the lung to the chest wall. This prevents further accumulation of fluid or air in the pleural cavity and helps to stabilize the lung.

The other choices represent different medical procedures or techniques that do not align with the concept of pleurodesis. For instance, examining lung function is related to pulmonary function tests, fluid removal pertains more to thoracentesis, and imaging techniques for the chest cover methods like X-rays or CT scans, which are used to visualize the structures within the thoracic cavity rather than to perform a surgical procedure.