| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2016 | Volume
: 11
| Issue : 3 | Page : 177-182 |
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Medical thoracoscopy: Analysis on diagnostic yield through 30 years of experience
Alberto Valsecchi1, Sabrina Arondi1, Giampietro Marchetti2
1 Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Spedali Civili Hospital of Brescia, University of Brescia, Italy
2 Department of Cardiothoracic, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Spedali Civili Hospital of Brescia, Italy
Correspondence Address:
Sabrina Arondi
Via Domenico Signori 44, Roé Volciano (BS)
Italy
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1817-1737.185755
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Background: Medical thoracoscopy (MT) or pleuroscopy is a procedure performed to diagnose and treat malignant and benign pleural diseases. Totally 2752 pleuroscopies executed in 1984–2013 in our center were considered in this study.
Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed. Observational time was divided into six series of 5 years. We calculated MT diagnostic yield and analyzed trends of main diseases diagnosed along the time.
Results: Along the 30 years population became progressively older. Number of pleuroscopies firstly increased, then stabilized and decreased in the last 5 years. The overall diagnostic yield of MT was 71%, increasing from 57% to 79%. The diagnostic yield was significantly higher in the presence of monolateral pleural effusion. Cancer represented more than half of diagnosis; tuberculosis was the most common nonneoplastic disease. The frequency of all cancers, mesothelioma, and lung cancer increased through the time; tuberculosis first decreased and then increased. All specimens resulted appropriate during the last 25 years.
Conclusion: MT has a great diagnostic yield that can be improved by practice, permitting to achieve a specific histological diagnosis in about 80% of patients. Our experience demonstrates that the accurate selection of the patients undergoing to MT is very important to reach these results. |
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