Fluid density | Pleural enhancement | Subcostal tissue thickening | Loculation/effusion shape |
Mean density <20 HU (Score 0) | Absent (Score 0) | Absent (Score 0) | Simple: Concave medially, parallels chest wall (Score 0) |
Present, <2 mm thick (Score 1) | Present, <2 mm thick (Score 1) | Loculated: convex medially or lobulated with separation of lobulations by >10 mm of fluid/thickening (Score 1) | |
Mean density >20 HU (Score 1) | Present, >2 mm thick (Score 2) | Present, >2 mm thick (Score 2) | Incomplete multiloculation: lobulations separated by <10 mm of pleural thickness (Score 2) |
Complete multiloculation: pockets of fluid separated by normal intervening pleura (Score 3) |
HU, Hounsfield units.