Background: A pleural effusion is an abnormal buildup of fluid in the pleural space. It is a frequent clinical issue that can present as a manifestation of a number of diseases. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the patient characteristics, clinical symptoms, and causes of pleural effusion over a two-year period in the chest department at Minia University Hospital. Methods: Patients with pleural effusion who were admitted to the Minia Cardiothoracic University Hospital's chest department between January 2021 and January 2023 were included in this prospective study. Each patient had a thorough medical history taken, a clinical examination, common laboratory testing, pleural fluid analysis, and, if necessary, a fiberoptic bronchoscopy or medical thoracoscopy. Results: Of the 164 patients included in the study, 48.8% of those were over 60 years old, and 61.6% of them were men. 86% of the patients had exudative pleural effusion, while 23 (14%) had transudative pleural effusion. As regard the etiology, malignant pleural effusion, was noted in 51.8% of cases. In 47.1% of patients, the main tumor causing pleural effusion was lung cancer. Conclusion: Medical professionals frequently deal with pleural effusion. Our cohort of patients frequently had malignant pleural effusions; hence thorough and thorough pleural effusion work-up is necessary

Keywords: pleural effusion, medical thoracoscopy, lung cancer.