title: [Quick cytological examinations in thoracic surgery].
abstract: In departments of thoracic surgery, quick cytological examinations have been performed with various procedures and practices. The examinations are mainly bronchoscopical and computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsies, and used for intraoperative biopsies and pleural effusion cytology etc. To enhance the diagnostic accuracy and to reduce the burden patients must endure in bronchoscopy for evaluations of peripheral lung lesions, we have recently employed the quick cytological examination. In trans-bronchial lung biopsies (sampling) using bronchoscopy, we retrospectively analyzed and compared group A (without quick cytological examination; up to April 2005) with group B (with quick cytological examination; from May 2005) in diagnostic rates and in sampling numbers such as brushing, curet, washing and biopsy. In malignant lesions, the diagnostic rates of group A and group B were 61.9% (39 of 63 patients) and 88.5% (23 of 26 patients), respectively. The diagnostic rate was significantly greater in group B than in group A. There was little sampling numbers in group B compared with the sampling numbers in group A. Trans-bronchial lung biopsy with quick cytological examination by using bronchoscopy contributes to increasing diagnostic accuracy and as a result, reduces the burden patients must bear. For performance of quick cytological examinations, a clinician should have cooperation and exchange information with the department of clinical pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Gunma Prefectural Cancer Center, Oota, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed