Utility of semi-rigid thoracoscopy in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy: A Focus on Indications, Techniques and Complications

The main purpose of this narrative review is to educate general practitioners about a crucial pleural procedure, namely local anesthetic thoracoscopy (LAT), and to provide established respiratory physicians with an expert opinion-based summary of the literature. This narrative review focuses on the indications, technical aspects and complications of LAT, highlighting its safety and high degree of diagnostic sensitivity for patients who present with an unexplained pleural effusion and have a high pre-test probability of cancer.

Prospective Evaluation of Safety and Diagnostic Efficacy of Medical Thoracoscopy in Undiagnosed Exudative Pleural Effusion: Experience From a Tuberculosis High-Burden Country

INTRODUCTION

Pleural effusion is due to the pathological accumulation of pleural fluid in the pleural space, 25%-30% of which may remain undiagnosed despite the combination of biochemical, microbiological, and pathological tests and closed pleural biopsy. Medical thoracoscopy may help physicians diagnose such cases. We aimed to study the diagnostic yield of medical thoracoscopy in patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion and assess the safety profile of the medical thoracoscopy.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 105 patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion. Medical thoracoscopy was performed using an Olympus semi-rigid thoracoscope (LTF 160 Evis Pleurovideoscope, Japan) as per standard protocol. Multiple pleural biopsies were taken and sent for histopathology examination, NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test), and MGIT (mycobacteria growth indicator tube). Post-procedure, the patients were evaluated for any complications.

RESULTS

A total of 105 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean ± SD age was 55.1 ± 13.6 years. Sixty-three (60%) patients were males. The diagnostic utility of medical thoracoscopy was found in 94 (89.5%) patients. The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) was made in 34 (32.3%) patients, and 48 (45.7%) patients were diagnosed with malignant pleural effusion. Adenocarcinoma of the lung was the most common malignancy diagnosed (32 patients, 66.6%). Five (5.31%) patients had dual etiology of pleural effusion: tubercular and malignancy. The most common complication was chest pain following the procedure (99.4%). One patient developed pneumomediastinum and was managed conservatively. There were no major adverse events after the procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical thoracoscopy has a high diagnostic yield and favorable safety profile with minimal complications. Excessive reliance on the level of ADA (adenosine deaminase) may further delay the diagnosis. Dual etiologies like TB coexisting with malignancy should be considered in TB high-burden countries.

NCCP-ICS joint consensus-based clinical practice guidelines on medical thoracoscopy

ABSTRACT

Medical Thoracoscopy (MT) is commonly performed by respiratory physicians for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. The aim of the study was to provide evidence-based information regarding all aspects of MT, both as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic aid for pulmonologists across India. The consensus-based guidelines were formulated based on a multistep process using a set of 31 questions. A systematic search of published randomized controlled clinical trials, open labelled studies, case reports and guidelines from electronic databases, like PubMed, EmBase and Cochrane, was performed. The modified grade system was used (1, 2, 3 or usual practice point) to classify the quality of available evidence. Then, a multitude of factors were taken into account, such as volume of evidence, applicability and practicality for implementation to the target population and then strength of recommendation was finalized. MT helps to improve diagnosis and patient management, with reduced risk of post procedure complications. Trainees should perform at least 20 medical thoracoscopy procedures. The diagnostic yield of both rigid and semirigid techniques is comparable. Sterile-graded talc is the ideal agent for chemical pleurodesis. The consensus statement will help pulmonologists to adopt best evidence-based practices during MT for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Local Anaesthetic Thoracoscopy for Pleural Effusion-A Narrative Review

The incidence of pleural disease is increasing, and interventions are crucial in this subspecialist area of respiratory medicine. One of the cornerstones of pleural effusion investigation and management is medical, which is also known as local anaesthetic thoracoscopy. This allows fluid drainage, biopsy for diagnosis and preventative measures for further fluid potential build-up. This article summarises the evidence around this procedure through a narrative review of the available evidence.

Role of medical thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of pleural effusions

BACKGROUND

Medical thoracoscopy (semi-rigid and rigid thoracoscopy) have revolutionized the management of undiagnosed pleural effusions. Though semi-rigid thoracoscopy has a good diagnostic yield in malignant and tubercular effusions, its role in the management of a complicated pleural effusions is debatable. Hence, rigid thoracoscopy becomes handy in these cases. The present study looked into the role of medical thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of pleural effusions in different conditions.

METHODS

This study included all patients who underwent medical thoracoscopy at our center between May-2010 and March-2020. Basic demographics data, type of medical thoracoscopy used, and histopathology details were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 373 patients were subjected to medical thoracoscopy (202 semi-rigid thoracoscopy and 171 rigid thoracoscopy). Out of whom 246 (66%) were males, the mean age was 51.9 ± 13.2 years. Diagnosis was achieved in 370 patients with a yield of 99.2%. The diagnostic yield in semi-rigid thoracoscopy was 99.5% with lung malignancy being the most common diagnosis (41%; n = 81), followed by tuberculosis (31%; n = 61). The diagnostic yield in rigid thoracoscopy was 100% in our study. Along with high diagnostic yield, complete drainage and lung expansion was seen in 93.5% (160 out of 171 patients) without requiring a second procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

Semi-rigid thoracoscopy and rigid thoracoscopy should complement each other in the diagnosis of pleural effusions. Rigid thoracoscopy should be considered as the procedure of choice in a complicated pleural effusion.

Dexmedetomidine Versus Midazolam for Sedation During Medical Thoracoscopy: A Pilot Randomized-Controlled Trial (RCT)

BACKGROUND

Studies comparing the utility of dexmedetomidine with other drugs for sedation during medical thoracoscopy are lacking. In this pilot study, we compared dexmedetomidine with midazolam for sedation in thoracoscopy.

METHODS

Consecutive subjects were randomized to receive either dexmedetomidine (n=30) (group D) or midazolam (n=30) (group M). All received fentanyl for procedural analgesia. The primary endpoint was pulmonologist-rated overall procedure satisfaction on the visual analog scale (satisfaction VAS). Key secondary outcomes were pulmonologist-rated cough on VAS (cough VAS), patient-rated faces pain scale scores, change in hemodynamic variables, total additional fentanyl dose, and adverse events during procedure.

RESULTS

The satisfaction VAS score (mean±SD) was significantly greater in group D versus group M (7.5±1.4 and 6.5±1.1, respectively) ( P =0.003). The cough VAS scores (mean±SD) were 2.1±1.5 (group D) and 3.1±1.3 (group M) ( P =0.014). The scores (mean±SD) for patient-rated faces pain scale were 2.9±1.8 and 4.2±2.3 ( P =0.019) in group D and group M, respectively. The additional dose of fentanyl administered in group M was significantly greater than in group D ( P =0.001). The responses at the local anesthesia infiltration, skin incision, thoracoscope insertion, and biopsy between both groups were similar. The hemodynamic parameters were comparable in both groups. Also, more patients were willing for repeat thoracoscopy if needed; in the dexmedetomidine group.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this pilot RCT indicate that dexmedetomidine may be more efficacious than midazolam for sedation in patients undergoing medical thoracoscopy. These observations need to be confirmed in an adequately powered RCT.

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Diagnostic value and safety of medical thoracoscopy for pleural effusion of different causes

BACKGROUND

Pleural effusions occur for various reasons, and their diagnosis remains challenging despite the availability of different diagnostic modalities. Medical thoracoscopy (MT) can be used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, especially in patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion.

AIM

To assess the diagnostic efficacy and safety of MT in patients with pleural effusion of different causes.

METHODS

Between January 1, 2012 and April 30, 2021, patients with pleural effusion underwent MT in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University (Shaanxi, China). According to the discharge diagnosis, patients were divided into malignant pleural effusion (MPE), tuberculous pleural effusion (TBPE), and inflammatory pleural effusion (IPE) groups. General information, and tuberculosis- and effusion-related indices of the three groups were analyzed. The diagnostic yield, diagnostic accuracy, performance under thoracoscopy, and complications of patients were compared among the three groups. Then, the significant predictive factors for diagnosis between the MPE and TBPE groups were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 106 patients enrolled in this 10-year study, 67 were male and 39 female, with mean age of 57.1 ± 14.184 years. Among the 74 thoracoscopy-confirmed patients, 41 (38.7%) had MPE, 21 had (19.8%) TBPE, and 32 (30.2%) were undiagnosed. Overall diagnostic yield of MT was 69.8% (MPE: 75.9%, TBPE: 48.8%, and IPE: 75.0%, with diagnostic accuracies of 100%, 87.5%, and 75.0%, respectively). Under thoracoscopy, single or multiple pleural nodules were observed in 81.1% and pleural adhesions in 34.0% with pleural effusions. The most common complication was chest pain (41.5%), followed by chest tightness (11.3%) and fever (10.4%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed effusion appearance [odds ratio (OR): 0.001, 95%CI: 0.000-0.204; P = 0.010] and carcinoembryonic antigen (OR: 0.243, 95%CI: 0.081-0.728; P = 0.011) as significant for differentiating MPE and TBPE, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.977 (95%CI: 0.953-1.000; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

MT is an effective, safe, and minimally invasive procedure with high diagnostic yield for pleural effusion of different causes.

Comparison of Diagnostic Yield and Complications in Ultrasound-Guided Closed Pleural Biopsy Versus Thoracoscopic Pleural Biopsy in Undiagnosed Exudative Pleural Effusion

Introduction

Malignancy, tuberculosis, and non-tubercular pleural infections account for most exudative pleural effusion. Pleural fluid cytology, biochemical tests and even pleural fluid cell block studies may fail to yield a diagnosis in certain cases. Medical thoracoscopy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of unexplained pleural effusions. However, access to medical thoracoscopy may be limited, particularly in developing countries. Also, certain patients may not be fit to undergo the procedure because of medical conditions. An ultrasound-guided pleural biopsy is an option in such conditions. The present study is intended to compare the diagnostic yield and complications of both methods of pleural biopsy in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion under a randomized controlled trial.

Method

After fulfilling all the inclusion criteria, participants were randomized to either ultrasound-guided closed pleural biopsy or thoracoscopic-guided pleural biopsy groups. The primary outcome was to compare the diagnostic yield of ultrasound-guided Tru-Cut® (Newtech Medical Devices, Faridabad, India) closed pleural biopsy versus thoracoscopic pleural biopsy, and the secondary outcomes were to compare the complications rate, duration of the procedure, and hospital stay in the patients undergoing ultrasound-guided pleural biopsy versus thoracoscopic pleural biopsy, and predictors of a positive biopsy result in both groups.

Result

A total of 118 patients with pleural effusion were screened; 39 of them who were eligible, randomized into the ultrasound group (20 patients) and the thoracoscopic group (19 patients). The median age of participants was 53.5 (50-58) years and 55 (45-64) years in the ultrasound and thoracoscopic groups, respectively. Pleural fluid cell count, protein, adenosine deaminase (ADA), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were similar in both groups, although pleural fluid glucose was low in the ultrasound group. Diagnostic yield was 90% (18/20) and 94.7% (18/19) in the ultrasound and thoracoscopic groups, respectively, which was statistically non-significant (p=0.963). The median duration of hospital stay was 9.5 (5.3-27) days and 15 (12-22) days in ultrasound and thoracoscopic groups respectively. The thoracoscopic group had a more prolonged stay compared to the ultrasound group, but it was statistically non-significant (p=0.09). The duration of the procedure was significantly longer in the thoracoscopic group 90 (85-105) minutes, in comparison to ultrasound 47.5 (41.3-55) minutes (p=0.001). No major complications were seen in both groups. Subcutaneous emphysema was the most common complication in the thoracoscopic group (10%), followed by hemorrhage (5.3%), and respiratory failure (5.3%). Hypotension was the only complication in the ultrasound group (5%). The rate of complications was significantly higher in the thoracoscopic group (p<0.01).

Conclusion

Ultrasound-guided closed pleural biopsy is as good as thoracoscopic pleural biopsy in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion. It was associated with a shorter procedure duration, a shorter hospital stay, and fewer complications as compared to thoracoscopic biopsy. Both the procedures were safe in experienced hands and a hospital setup, but the thoracoscopic pleural biopsy was associated with complications.

Thoracoscopic practices in India-a survey by Indian chest society

BACKGROUND

Diagnostic thoracentesis is the initial diagnostic investigation in the workup of an undiagnosed Pleural effusion. However, a significant percentage of pleural effusions remain undiagnosed after this step and after closed pleural biopsy. Medical thoracoscopy (MT) has a high diagnostic yield in these patients. MT is now widely practised in India. This survey endeavours to study the practice of this technique by respiratory physicians in India.

METHODS

An electronic survey called 'Indian Thoracoscopy survey' was prepared and conducted under the aegis of Indian Chest Society. In all there were 63 Questions in English prepared and disseminated as a "Google Form" to conduct this survey. The subjects were recruited from the e-mail lists of the three major professional surgeries that serve the interests of the respiratory physicians. The participation in the survey was voluntary and no incentive of any sort was offered to the participants. The survey link was kept open for a 3-month period.

RESULTS

There were total 659 respondents, whose mean age was 41.5 years and majority of them were males (n = 564, 85.6%). The largest group of respondents practiced in corporate/private hospitals (n = 315, 47.8%). Only 311 (47.2%) respondents performed MT. Of these, 190 (61.1%) used flex-rigid/semi rigid thoracoscopes. Undiagnosed pleural effusions (N = 194; 62.4%) and recurrent pleural effusions (N = 117; 37.6%) were the most common indications for performing MT. Majority of the thoracoscopists (222, 71.4%) used conscious sedation and a combination of Midazolam and Fentanyl was the most preferred combination (n = 238; 76.5%). Most follow the manufacturer's recommendation for thoracoscope cleaning and disinfection and had safety check lists in place.

CONCLUSION

Our survey captures the practice of MT in India. MT seems to be increasing in popularity with significant numbers of respiratory physicians performing the procedure. Respondents felt that MT was a valuable investigation that was underused and more of them wanted to learn. It is safe to perform MT under conscious sedation and local anaesthesia and a boon to patients who required surgical procedures for evaluation of difficult to diagnose pleural diseases. The setup cost is significant and would not justify installation in all centres. The lack of opportunities for training is something that needs to be looked in to.

Diagnostic accuracy of semirigid thoracoscopy in exudative pleural effusions and relationship of thoracoscopic findings with probability of malignant diagnosis

Semirigid thoracoscopy is increasingly becoming the procedure of choice for evaluation of undiagnosed exudative pleural effusions. Few studies have reported relationship of thoracoscopic appearances of pleural abnormalities and etiological diagnoses. We aimed our study to assess the diagnostic utility and safety of semirigid thoracoscopy for evaluation of patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion. Further, we also pursued to find any relation of various thoracoscopic findings with the final diagnosis. We prospectively enrolled hospitalized patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion who underwent semirigid thoracoscopy. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data along with data on thoracoscopic appearance of various pleural abnormalities and histopathological diagnosis of pleural biopsy specimens were collected and analysed. Semirigid thoracoscopy was diagnostic in 46 (N=55) patients (83.64%). Malignancy was diagnosed in 31 patients (56.36%), of which adenocarcinoma was the most common histopathological diagnosis (45.16%).  Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV LR+ and LR- of thoracoscopy were 93.87%, 100%, 100%, 66.67%, 40.30 and 0.06, respectively. Pleural nodules, masses and hemorrhagic pleural fluid significantly increased the diagnosis yield of malignancy [OR= 37.16 (95%CI = 3.61-382.65),  =0.002]. The procedure related complications were mild and transient. Post- procedural pain (20%) was most commonly reported followed by dry cough (18.18%), sub-cutaneous emphysema (7.27%) and anaesthesia related complication (1.82%). Semirigid thoracoscopy is simple, safe and effective procedure in diagnosing exudative pleural effusion of unknown etiology with high diagnostic accuracy and minor procedure related complications. The likelihood of diagnosing malignancy is high if combination of pleural nodules, masses and hemorrhagic pleural fluid is present.

CAMPO Precision128 Max ENERGY Spectrum CT Combined with Multiple Parameters to Evaluate the Benign and Malignant Pleural Effusion

The emergence of energy spectrum CT provides greater diagnostic value for clinical practice. Its advantage is that it can provide more functional imaging parameters and accurate image information for clinical practice, which represents a mainstream direction of CT technology development at present. This paper mainly studies the clinical trial of CAMPO Precision128 Max ENERGY spectrum CT combined with multiple parameters to evaluate the benign and malignant pleural effusion. This paper analyzes the principle and key performance parameters of energy spectrum CT imaging, the etiology of pleural effusion, and its conventional diagnostic methods and uses energy spectrum CT to detect the benign and malignant pleural effusion. In this paper, two groups of patients with different types of pleural effusions were scanned by line spectrum chest CT scans, and energy spectrum analysis software was used to measure and calculate the CT values of conventional mixed energy values of ROI of patients with pleural effusions. For the CT value and energy curve slope measurement value of different single energy keV, independent sample t-test was used to analyze and compare the two sets of data, and finally it has been found out that the two sets of data were similar. According to the experimental results, the curves of energy spectrum of the two groups of data are similar in the descending curve of bow-back. The slope of energy spectrum curve in the leakage group was lower than that in the exudate group, showing statistical significance (P < 0.05). The slope of energy spectrum curve K in the malignant pleural effusion group was significantly higher than that in the benign pleural effusion group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The trend of energy spectrum curves of the two is roughly the same, while at the high energy level, part of the energy spectrum curves of the two are overlapped. The above conclusion indicates that energy spectrum CT plays a certain role in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion. At the same time, energy spectrum CT also provides a noninvasive and rapid examination method for clinical differentiation of pleural effusion, which has certain clinical application value and prospect.

A survey of medical thoracoscopy practices in India

Background:

Medical thoracoscopy (MT) is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for a variety of pleural conditions. There is a lack of literature on prevalent practices of MT in India.

Aims and Objectives:

The objective of the study was to study the prevalent practices of MT in India.

Materials and Methods:

A structured online survey on various aspects of thoracoscopy was designed on the “Google Forms” web software.

Results:

One hundred and eight responses were received, of which 100 respondents performed MT. The majority were pulmonologists, and most had started performing thoracoscopy within the last 5 years. Rigid thoracoscope was the most commonly used instrument. The common indications of procedure included undiagnosed pleural effusion, talc pleurodesis, and adhesiolysis. Local anesthesia with conscious sedation was the preferred anesthetic modality. Midazolam, along with fentanyl, was the most widely used sedation combination. 2% lignocaine was the most commonly used concentration for local infiltrative anesthesia. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents reported having encountered any complication of thoracoscopy. Significant reported complications included empyema, incision/port-site infection, re-expansion pulmonary edema, and procedure-related mortality.

Conclusion:

MT is a rapidly evolving interventional pulmonology procedure in India. There is, however, a significant variation in practice and variable adherence to available international guidelines on thoracoscopy. Formal training programs within India and national guidelines for pleuroscopy considering the local resources are required to improve the safety and yield of this useful modality.

Comparison between closed pleural biopsy and medical thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of undiagnosed exudative pleural effusions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Exudative pleural effusion (EPE) is a common diagnostic challenge. The utility of medical thoracoscopy (MT) and closed pleural biopsy (CPB) to aid in the diagnosis of EPE has been reported in many published studies. Herein, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the diagnostic yield and safety of CPB and MT in EPE.

Methods

Four databases were searched for studies reporting the diagnostic yield of CPB and MT for EPE. The quality of the included studies was evaluated according to the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) tool. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and complication risks were compared between the two groups.

Results

Ten studies dealing with CPB and twenty-three studies dealing with MT for the diagnosis of EPE were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR of CPB group was 77%, 99%, 32.55, 0.22, 165.71, respectively, while pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR of MT group was 93%, 100%, 10.82, 0.08, 162.81, respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve of CPB and MT were both 0.97. The ability of CPB to diagnose non-malignant diseases was like MT (69% vs. 68%), while the ability was lower than that of MT to diagnose malignant diseases (72% vs. 92%). The pooled diagnostic accuracy of CPB and MT for mesothelioma was 26% (95% CI, 14–38%) and 42% (95% CI, 22–62%) (P<0.001), respectively. The rate of complications with CBP was lower than that reported for MT.

Conclusions

CBP is a relatively accurate tool with a lower complication rate compared to MT in the diagnosis of EPE, especially in diagnosing non-malignant diseases. We confirm the utility of MT in the diagnostic workup of malignancy (especially mesothelioma); however, in selected cases, CPB could be used as the first diagnostic approach with a favorable safety profile.

Medical thoracoscopy and its evolving role in the diagnosis and treatment of pleural disease

Establishing the etiology of exudative pleural effusions in the setting of an unrevealing pleural fluid analysis often requires biopsies from the parietal pleura. While closed pleural biopsy (CPB) has been a popular minimally-invasive approach, it has a poor diagnostic yield, barring a diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy. Medical thoracoscopy (MT) is a minimally-invasive ambulatory procedure performed under local anesthesia or moderate sedation which allows for direct visualization of biopsy targets as well as simultaneous therapeutic interventions, including chemical pleurodesis and indwelling tunneled pleural catheter (ITPC) placement. The excellent yield and favorable safety profile of MT has led to it replacing CPB for many indications, particularly in the management of suspected malignant pleural effusions. As experience with MT amongst interventional pulmonologists has grown, there is an increased appreciation for its important role alongside percutaneous and surgical approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of pleural disease.

An interesting case of undiagnosed pleural effusion

Pulmonary embolism is an important cause of undiagnosed pleural effusion http://ow.ly/HDLx30bVVa7.

Clinical Value of Tumor Markers for Determining Cause of Pleural Effusion

Background:

It is often challenging to distinguish tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) from malignant pleural effusion (MPE); thoracoscopy is among the techniques with the highest diagnostic ability in this regard. However, such invasive examinations cannot be performed on the elderly, or on those in poor physical condition. The aim of this study was to explore the differential diagnostic value of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) associated antigen in patients with TPE and MPE.

Methods:

Using electrochemiluminescence, we measured the concentration of tumor markers (TMs) in the pleural effusion and serum of patients with TPE (n = 35) and MPE (n = 95). We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to evaluate the TMs and differentiate between TPE and MPE.

Results:

The cut-off values for each TM in serum were: CA125, 151.55 U/ml; CA199, 9.88 U/ml; CEA, 3.50 ng/ml; NSE, 13.27 ng/ml; and SCC, 0.85 ng/ml. Those in pleural fluid were: CA125, 644.30 U/ml; CA199, 12.08 U/ml; CEA, 3.35 ng/ml; NSE, 9.71 ng/ml; and SCC, 1.35 ng/ml. The cut-off values for the ratio of pleural fluid concentration to serum concentration (P/S ratio) of each TM were: CA125, 5.93; CA199, 0.80; CEA, 1.47; NSE, 0.76; and SCC, 0.90. The P/S ratio showed the highest specificity in the case of CEA (97.14%). ROC curve analysis revealed that, for all TMs, the area under the curve in pleural fluid (0.95) was significantly different from that in serum (0.85; P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

TMs in TPE differ significantly from those in MPE, especially when detected in pleural fluid. The combined detection of TMs can improve diagnostic sensitivity.

Intra-patient comparison of parietal pleural biopsies by rigid forceps, flexible forceps and cryoprobe obtained during medical thoracoscopy: a prospective series of 80 cases with pleural effusion

BACKGROUND

There is only few data available on the use of cryotechnique during medical thoracoscopy.

METHODS

Medical thoracoscopy was performed in consecutive patients with pleural effusion. Prospectively, biopsies were taken by rigid forceps, flexible forceps and cryoprobe. Specimen size, depth and diagnostic yield were compared.

RESULTS

80 Patients were included. 408 biopsies were taken (205 rigid biopsies, 104 flexible biopsies, 99 cryobiopsies). Mean surface area of rigid biopsies was 22.6 ± 20.4 mm(2) (flexible biopsies: 7.1 ± 9.3 mm(2), cryobiopsies: 14.4 ± 12.8 mm(2)). Rigid biopsies were significantly larger than cryobiopsies (p < 0.001) and flexible biopsies (p < 0.001), crybiopsies were significantly larger than flexible biopsies (p < 0.01). A deep biopsy containing fatty tissue was harvested in 63 % of rigid biopsies (cryobiopsy: 49.5 % flexible biopsy: 39.5 %). In 79/80 cases (98.7 % 95 % CI cannot be calculated) a diagnosis was obtained by rigid biopsy (cryobiopsy: 73/80 cases (91.3 % 95 % CI 86.0 - 96.5 %), flexible biopsy: 74/80 cases (92.5 % 95 % CI 88.6 - 97.4 %)). Diagnostic yield achieved with cryobiopsies was inferior to the yield of rigid biopsies (Difference: 12.7 %), but non-inferior to flexible biopsies (Difference: 6.5 %).

CONCLUSION

Cryobiopsies in medical thoracoscopy are safe with high diagnostic yield, non-inferior to flexible biopsies with increased tissue quantity and quality. Cryotechnique can develop an important role in medical thoracoscopy in the near future when rigid thoracoscopy is not available.