title: [The usefulness of videothoracoscopy in survival evaluation in patients with malignant pleural effusion].
abstract: Videothoracoscopy is a useful diagnostic tool in patients with suspicion of malignant pleural effusion, because of both: the high accuracy in diagnosis and the possibility of assessing the extent of pleural involvement and producing the pleurodesis. An analysis of characteristics of 110 patients with suspected pleural dissemination is presented, including final diagnosis established with the use of VTS. In patients with confirmed malignant pleural effusion following characteristics were analyzed: the extent of pleural metastatic involvement, type of the primary malignancy, possibility of re-expansion of the lung and patients survival according to the primary tumor and extent of involvement of the pleura.
authors.affiliation: Oddzial Torakochirurgii Specjalistycznego Szpitala Chorób Płuc w Zakopanem.
authors.forename: Jarosław
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuzdzał
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soja
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szlubowski
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zieliński
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sładek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015996:Survival Rate; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D014743:Videotape Recording