Diagnostic Yield of Medical Thoracoscopy in Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion.
BACKGROUND
One of the most common indications for pleuroscopy is undiagnosed pleural effusion, which comprises about 25% of all cases of pleural effusions, which remain undiagnosed despite primary tests. Pleuroscopy was performed for the first time in Iran in Masih Daneshvari hospital located in Tehran. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic yield of pleuroscopy performed in this center in Iran.


METHODS
Three-hundred patients with undiagnosed pleural effusions were enrolled in this study. For all patients, primary tests including pleural effusion analysis, cytology and closed pleural biopsy (if needed) were conducted and all of them were inconclusive. The semirigid thoracoscopy (pleuroscopy) was performed for all patients for diagnostic purposes.


RESULTS
Eighty-seven percent of the peluroscopies were diagnostic and 67% of them were diagnosed as malignancy while the rest were diagnosed as tuberculosis. Only 11 patients developed minor complications.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, pleuroscopy is a safe procedure when performed by a skilled and experienced practitioner; it has a high diagnostic yield and results in only minor complications.
Tracheal Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Arda
A
Kiani
Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Atefeh
A
Abedini
Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mahmoud
M
Karimi
Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Katayoun
K
Samadi
Lung Transplantation Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Kambiz
K
Sheikhy
Tracheal Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Behrooz
B
Farzanegan
Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mihan
M
Pour Abdollah
Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hamidreza
H
Jamaati
Tracheal Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hamid Reza
HR
Jabardarjani
Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Reza
MR
Masjedi
Diagnosis; Pleural effusion; Pleuroscopy; Thoracoscopy