Safety and Complications of Medical Thoracoscopy

Safety and Complications of Medical Thoracoscopy

Objectives. To highlight the possible complications of medical thoracoscopy (MT) and how to avoid them. Methods. A retrospective and prospective analysis of 127 patients undergoing MT in Nagoya Medical Center (NMC) and Toyota Kosei Hospital. The data about complications was obtained from the patients, notes on the computer system, and radiographs. Results. The median age was 71.0 (range, 33.0-9...

The centenary of medical thoracoscopy.

New Challenges in Medical Thoracoscopy

Thoracoscopy is currently the gold standard for the diagnosis and treatment of pleural diseases. Its diagnostic yield is 95% in patients with malignant pleural disease, with approximately 90% successful pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion and 95% for pneumothorax. At the same time, thoracoscopy constitutes an important tool in the research of pleural pathophysiology and molecular biology...

Advanced techniques in medical thoracoscopy.

For expert pulmonologists, advanced procedures in medical thoracoscopy are the nonroutine and more complex applications of the method. The main current indications are the treatment of infected pleural space, forceps lung biopsy and sympathectomy. In parapneumonic effusions and empyema, medical thoracoscopy is as a drainage procedure, intermediate between tube thoracostomy and video-assisted th...

Medical thoracoscopy: rigid thoracoscopy or flexi-rigid pleuroscopy?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW In managing pleural diseases, medical thoracoscopy is often performed as a diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedure, particularly in undiagnosed pleural effusions. Flexi-rigid pleuroscopes are now widely available as an alternative to conventional rigid thoracoscopes. There is an ongoing debate on which is the better instrument. This review analyses the current literature that ...