Introduction NEEDLE biopsy of the parietal pleura received little attention until 1955, when DeFrancis et al1 described a technique in which a Vim-Silverman needle was used to establish a tissue diagnosis of tuberculosis in two of six patients with pleural effusion. Subsequently, pleural needle biopsy has been employed with increasing frequency as a diagnostic aid in the study of patients with pleural effusion. The apparent simplicity and safety of the procedure without morbidity or discomfort to the patient prompted us to pursue its routine use at the time of thoracentesis. This paper is an account of that experience in 124 patients with pleural effusion. Review of Literature Various needles of different design have been used for biopsy of the parietal pleura. These have included the (1) Vim-Silverman,1 (2) Franseen,2 (3) Abrams (Harefield),3 (4) Cope,4 (5) Kerrison Rongeur,5 and (6) Carpenter.6 In the United