Current status of medical pleuroscopy

Andrew R L Medford; Jonathan A Bennett; Catherine M Free; Sanjay Agrawal

doi:10.1016/j.ccm.2009.10.001

Current status of medical pleuroscopy

Clin Chest Med. 2010 Mar;31(1):165-72, Table of Contents. doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2009.10.001.

Authors

Andrew R L Medford¹, Jonathan A Bennett, Catherine M Free, Sanjay Agrawal

Affiliation

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester LE3 9QP, Leicestershire, UK. andrewmedford@hotmail.com

PMID: 20172442
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccm.2009.10.001

Abstract

Medical pleuroscopy (MP) offers a safe and minimally invasive tool for interventional pulmonologists. It allows diagnosis of unexplained effusion, while at the same time allowing drainage and pleurodesis. It can also help in the diagnosis of diffuse interstitial disease or associated peripheral lung abnormality in the presence of effusion. It can have a therapeutic role in pneumothorax and hyperhidrosis or chronic pancreatic pain. This article reviews the technical aspects and range of applications of MP.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Hyperhidrosis / surgery
Lung Diseases, Interstitial / diagnosis
Pleural Diseases / surgery*
Pleural Effusion / diagnosis
Pleural Effusion / surgery
Pneumothorax / surgery
Thoracoscopy* / economics
Thoracoscopy* / methods
Tuberculosis, Pleural / surgery