[Clinical utility and safety of diagnostic thoracoscopy].

Abstract

The increasing use of thoracoscopy performed under local anesthesia has made contributions to the diagnosis of pleural disease with effusion. During the past 7 years, we have performed 100 such thoracoscopy procedures using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope. On the basis of our clinical findings, we are able to discuss the utility and safety of this procedure. The causes of pleural effusion were carcinomatous pleurisy in 72 cases, tuberculosis pleurisy in 15 cases, infection without tuberculosis in 4 cases, malignant pleural mesothelioma in 8 cases and one case of asbestosis. The success rate of thoracoscopic pleural biopsies were 97% for carcinomatous pleurisy, 100% for malignant pleural mesothelioma and 86% for tuberculosis pleurisy. This procedure was performed with no serious effect on blood pressure, oxygen saturation, monitored ECG or BGA data, and with no serious complications. Therefore, we concluded that this method is very useful for the diagnosis of pleural effusions and has few complications.

• Authors: M Sugiyama, T Horiguchi, A Ishibashi, K Banno, M Hirose, S Teruya, M Siga, J Miyazaki, S Tachikawa, M Handa, E Munekata
• Journal: Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai zasshi = the journal of the Japanese Respiratory Society (Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi) Vol. 39 Issue 12 Pg. 899-902 (Dec 2001) ISSN: 1343-3490 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 11875804 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Anesthesia, Local
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Mesothelioma (diagnosis)
• Middle Aged
• Pleural Effusion (diagnosis)
• Pleural Effusion, Malignant (diagnosis)
• Pleural Neoplasms (diagnosis)
• Safety (standards)
• Thoracoscopy (standards, statistics & numerical data)
• Tuberculosis, Pleural (diagnosis)