Thoracoscopy: a review of 121 consecutive surgical procedures.
The records of 121 patients who underwent surgical thoracoscopy between 1976 and 1987 were reviewed. The indications for thoracoscopy were pleural effusion (88%), pleural thickening (7.4%), and a mass on the chest roentgenogram (15%). All procedures were performed under general anesthesia with a rigid thoracoscope and 91 patients (75%) were diagnosed as having a malignant process. Although thoracotomy was undertaken in 20 patients (16.5%), no patient with benign disease underwent diagnostic thoracotomy. Thoracoscopy had a 98.9% sensitivity and a 93.3% specificity in this series. One patient died of a myocardial infarction after the procedure, and 11 patients (9.1%) had other, predominantly respiratory, complications. We confirm that surgical thoracoscopy is a useful procedure in the diagnosis of pleural processes.
Regional Adult Cardio-Thoracic Unit, Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
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RD
Page
R R
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Jeffrey
R J
RJ
Donnelly
D003949:Diagnostic Techniques, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D013908:Thoracotomy