PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Debajyoti Bhattacharyya
AU  - M.S. Barthwal
AU  - C.D.S Katoch
AU  - Anand Arora
TI  - Role of single port medical pleuroscopy using optical biopsy forceps in diagnosing malignant pleural effusion
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P3352
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3352.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3352.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - Introduction: Medical pleuroscopy is useful in early confirmation of malignant pleural effusion. Optical biopsy forceps helps in getting adequate number and amount of specimen through a single port giving a small incision.Aims and objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of single port medical pleuroscopy using optical biopsy forceps in diagnosing malignant pleural effusion.Methods: This is a retrospective study of all patients who had been histopathologically proved to have malignant pleural effusion by single port diagnostic medical pleuroscopy using optical biopsy forceps between January 2009 and January 2012 in a tertiary care hospital in India.Results: 39 patients (25 males and 14 females) underwent medical pleuroscopy during the period of study with a possible diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion. Mean age of patients was 54.4 years (range: 38-82 years). 37 patients (94.8%) were confirmed to have malignancy by medical pleuroscopic biopsy. Adenocarcinoma was the commonest malignancy – 15 (40.5%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma – 11 (29.7%), small cell carcinoma – 5 (13.5%), poorly differentiated carcinoma – 3 (8.1%), malignant mesothelioma – 2 (5.4%), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (2.7%). Reports were inconclusive in two patients. VATS biopsy subsequently confirmed them to be adenocarcinoma and mesothelioma respectively. Complications encountered during the perioperative period included: superficial wound infection in one (2.5%), and air leaks more than 7 days in two (5.1%) cases.Conclusions: Single port medical pleuroscopy using optical biopsy forceps has a high diagnostic rate in malignant pleural effusion. The procedure is also safe.