Hi. Thanks for your query. Noted your history of recently diagnosed small pleural effusion, pain on left side, still have some SOB, CT scan of the chest negative except for a small pleural effusion. You MD opines about costochondritis or pleuritic in origin. The sore throat and the itchy ears may not be directly related to your present problem. The sore throat might have been either viral or bacterial and can cause itchy ears due to referred pains from the throat. I would advise you to undergo the remaining tests of blood, urine and stool to determine the cause and to follow the treatment route. An opinion of an ENT Surgeon for clinical evaluation and examination will helps. Aspiration of the plural fluid and to send it for analysis might help to find the original cause and to get a proper treatment.