内科胸腔镜对胸腔积液诊断和治疗的临床价值

目的：探讨内科胸腔镜对胸腔积液的诊断价值,以及应用内科胸腔镜滑石粉胸膜固定术对恶性胸腔积液的治疗价值。方法回顾性性分析2008年1月至2014年1月在郑州市第三人民医院呼吸内科接受内科胸腔镜诊断的142例胸腔积液患者的临床资料。评价内科胸腔镜对胸腔积液的诊断阳性率和分析病因。将确诊为恶性胸腔积液的患者分为胸腔镜组和对照组。胸腔镜组给予内科胸腔镜滑石粉胸膜固定术,对照组胸给予胸腔引流管内灌注滑石粉而实现胸膜固定。对两组的疗效进行对比和分析。结果在142例胸腔积液患者中,有136例经内科胸腔镜检查及病理活检明确诊断,确诊率达95.8%。其中恶性胸腔积液(含恶性胸膜间皮瘤2例)85例(59.9%),结核性胸膜炎31例(21.8%),肺炎旁积液13例(9.2%),非特异性炎症7例(4.9%),原因不明胸腔积液6例(4.2%)。确诊的85例恶性胸腔积液患者中,胸腔镜组56例,1个月后复查有效率为91.1%,完全缓解率为82.1%;对照组29例,1个月后复查有效率为69.0%,完全缓解率为48.3%,两组有效率和完全缓解率比较,差异均有统计学意义(χ2值分别为6.786、10.555,P 值分别为0.009、0.001)。结论内科胸腔镜对胸腔积液具有较好的确诊率,内科胸腔镜滑石粉胸膜固定术可以有效地治疗恶性胸腔积液。     

Thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of pleural disease

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy and safety of thoracoscopy for the evaluation of pleural disease. DESIGN: Prospective evaluation of patients referred for thoracoscopy. SETTING: University hospital specializing in chest diseases. PATIENTS: We studied 102 patients with pleural disease, the cause of which had not been determined after initial investigation, including thoracentesis and needle biopsy. Eighty-six patients had pleural effusion, 11 had pleural mass, and 5 had pleural effusion in association with a known primary lung carcinoma. INTERVENTION: All patients had thoracoscopy under local anesthesia with mild sedation. Visually directed biopsies were done of parietal pleura. MEASUREMENTS: We recorded clinical characteristics, laboratory data, findings and duration of thoracoscopy, and any complications associated with the procedure. Hospital and clinic follow-up records were reviewed, and patients were contacted by telephone 12 and 24 months after thoracoscopy to assess their health status. MAIN RESULTS: One hundred and four thoracoscopies were done in 102 patients. A definitive diagnosis was established in 95 patients: 42 had malignant pleural disease and 53 had benign pleural disease. A diagnosis of benign pleural disease using thoracoscopy could not be confirmed in the remaining 7 patients because of insufficient follow-up information. Overall, thoracoscopy was 96% accurate with a sensitivity of 91%, a specificity of 100% and a negative predictive value of 93% for the diagnosis of pleural malignancy. Thoracoscopy was well tolerated under local anesthesia and entailed hospitalization for less than 24 hours in most cases. No deaths occurred, although 1.9% of patients had major complications, and 5.5% had minor complications. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with pleural disease remaining undiagnosed after usual initial investigation, thoracoscopy done under local anesthesia is a rapid, safe, and well-tolerated procedure with an excellent diagnostic yield that is equivalent to that of thoracotomy.     

Medical thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of unexplained pleural effusion

Abstract Approximately 20% of pleural effusions remain without an established aetiology after evaluation. Thoracoscopy has a very high sensitivity for the diagnosis of both benign and malignant diseases and greatly increases the diagnostic yield for pleural effusion. We sought to evaluate the diagnostic yield and safety of medical thoracoscopy at this institution. The records of all patients undergoing medical thoracoscopy for the evaluation of undiagnosed pleural effusion between 1990 and 1996 were reviewed. The procedure was performed under local anaesthesia with sedation using a Stortz rigid thoracoscope. Fifty-eight patients had thoracoscopy, most having had two (range: 1–6) non-diagnostic pleural aspirations and biopsies of the pleura. Nineteen patients were found to have mesothelioma and nine metastatic malignancy. Three patients were considered likely to have tuberculous pleural disease, six had asbestos related benign pleural fibrosis and three post-cardiotomy syndrome. There was one chylous effusion of uncertain aetiology, one post-traumatic and two other benign effusions, both of which resolved without clear aetiology. On seven occasions the pleural space could not be adequately accessed, but none of these patients had prior computerized tomography (CT) or ultrasound of the pleural space. There were five false negative diagnoses of malignancy, but no false positives. The diagnostic sensitivity for pleural malignancy was 85% and specificity 100%. There were no major complications, but four patients had late tumour seeding at the thoracoscopy site. Medical thoracoscopy is a safe procedure with a high diagnostic yield. Pre-operative evaluation of the pleural collection using ultrasound or CT increases the likelihood of successful access to the pleural space and may increase diagnostic yield.     

Autofluorescence videothoracoscopy in exudative pleural effusions: preliminary results.

Videothoracoscopy has been proven to be a safe tool to establish the diagnosis in >90% of patients with exudative pleural effusions of unknown origin. In the majority of patients with malignant pleural diseases, the endoscopic appearance of pleural lesions during white light thoracoscopy is suggestive of malignancy, but could be misleading in some cases. The aim of the present study was to estimate whether the combination of thoracoscopy with autofluorescence modalities would be useful to further improve the diagnostic accuracy of the conventional method. The present study displays early results of thoracoscopy performed consecutively with a normal light source and with autofluorescence light in 24 patients with exudative pleural effusion during 2003-2004. In all cases of malignant pleuritis (carcinoma or mesothelioma), the colour of the affected area of the pleura changed from white/pink to red (sensitivity 100%). However, in two cases of chronic pleuritis, a colour change from white/pink to orange/red was recorded (specificity 75%). In conclusion, the calculated positive predictive value of colour change for malignant pleuritis during autofluorescence thoracoscopy in this study was 92%. However, the clinical value of autofluorescence thoracoscopy in daily practice remains to be proven.     

可弯曲内科胸腔镜术对胸膜疾病的诊治价值

目的探索可弯曲内科电子胸腔镜诊治胸膜疾病的价值及可行性。方法采用Olympus LTF-240型可弯曲内科胸腔镜对114例胸膜疾病患者在局麻下行开放式胸腔镜术，包括诊断组（含不明原因胸腔积液者及肺癌分期诊断者）、气胸组、胸膜固定术组及脓胸组。结果72例不明原因胸腔积液中确诊58例（80．1％），包括胸膜转移癌39例（肺癌胸膜转移38例、食管癌胸膜转移1例），胸膜间皮瘤3例，结核性胸膜炎15例，矽肺累及胸膜1例；未确诊的病例包括12例病理示非特异性炎症、2例胸腔镜检查未见异常。6例肺癌分期诊断者2例证实胸膜转移。13例气胸治愈7例（53，8％），胸膜固定术28例胸水均得到控制，脓胸6例均得到治愈。无1例出现严重并发症。结论可弯曲内科电子胸腔镜术容易耐受、安全、微创、费用低，是诊断疑难胸膜疾病及治疗难治性胸腔积液、脓胸的有效而实用的方法。     

Clinical utility and safety of diagnostic thoracoscopy]

The increasing use of thoracoscopy performed under local anesthesia has made contributions to the diagnosis of pleural disease with effusion. During the past 7 years, we have performed 100 such thoracoscopy procedures using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope. On the basis of our clinical findings, we are able to discuss the utility and safety of this procedure. The causes of pleural effusion were carcinomatous pleurisy in 72 cases, tuberculosis pleurisy in 15 cases, infection without tuberculosis in 4 cases, malignant pleural mesothelioma in 8 cases and one case of asbestosis. The success rate of thoracoscopic pleural biopsies were 97% for carcinomatous pleurisy, 100% for malignant pleural mesothelioma and 86% for tuberculosis pleurisy. This procedure was performed with no serious effect on blood pressure, oxygen saturation, monitored ECG or BGA data, and with no serious complications. Therefore, we concluded that this method is very useful for the diagnosis of pleural effusions and has few complications.     

Xanthomatous pleuritis mimicking mesothelioma

Recurrent non-malignant exudative effusions remain a diagnostic and potentially management dilemma. Fluid characteristics frequently narrow the differential but fail to offer a definitive diagnosis. Medical thoracoscopy is well tolerated and allows direct visualization and biopsy of pleural processes under conscious sedation. Rarely, macroscopic appearance and even histology may be misleading. We present a case of xanthomatous pleuritis that mimicked early mesothelioma. Our patient was a 69-year-old female with a large left pleural effusion. Her medical history was significant for a recent small pericardial effusion without cardiac dysfunction. Thoracentesis revealed a non-malignant exudative effusion. Thoracoscopy demonstrated two foci of raised soft plaques with petechial hemorrhage and adhesions. Preliminary evaluation suggested chronic inflammation admixed with proliferating spindle cells and necrosis. The immunohistochemical phenotype of the spindle cells favored a spindle and epithelioid cell neoplasm, mesothelioma. Because of discord between pathologists, we repeated the thoracoscopy through the existing chest tube/thoracoscopy site. We acquired more tissue for special stains and outside review. Following extensive immunohistochemistry, the diagnosis of xanthomatous pleuritis was made. Our patient quickly recovered with steroid therapy and is without recurrence 18 months later. This case demonstrates the utility and nuances of medical thoracoscopy in a perplexing case of xanthomatous pleuritis.     

可弯曲电子内科胸腔镜在恶性胸腔积液诊断中的应用

目的探讨可弯曲电子内科胸腔镜在恶性胸腔积液诊断中的应用时机和指征。方法2005年7月至2007年7月,对首都医科大学附属北京朝阳医院应用尖端可弯曲电子内科胸腔镜(LTF-240型)检查并确诊的37例恶性胸腔积液患者临床资料进行回顾性分析,所有患者经胸腔积液细胞学、痰细胞学、支气管镜检查等仍不能确诊胸腔积液性质,临床上高度疑诊恶性胸腔积液者,行内科胸腔镜治疗。结果37例患者最终诊断:肺癌20例,其中肺鳞癌5例(其中1例经手术证实,而胸腔镜检查为阴性),肺腺癌12例,肺腺鳞癌1例,小细胞癌2例;胸膜转移癌14例,其中乳腺癌转移4例,卵巢癌转移1例,肾透明细胞癌并胸膜转移1例,恶性胸腺瘤转移1例,其他部位转移癌7例;恶性胸膜间皮瘤2例;非霍奇金淋巴瘤1例。主要并发症为术后伤口疼痛(21例),对症治疗可缓解,无肺水肿、感染、出血等并发症。结论可弯曲电子内科胸腔镜检查是一项安全、有效、易操作的检查方法,对有肿瘤病史、大量胸腔积液、胸部CT提示肿块影或胸膜病变者可早期积极进行内科胸腔镜检查。     

内科胸腔镜在不明原因胸腔积液诊断中的应用

目的 分析内科胸腔镜在不明原因胸腔积液诊断中的价值及其安全性.方法 对我院呼吸内科及重症医学科2010年4月至2013年4月收治的92例不明原因胸腔积液患者行内科胸腔镜检查,观察胸膜病变,直视下病变处多部位活检并行病理检查.结果 92例胸腔积液患者确诊84例,诊断阳性率为91.3％,其中恶性胸腔积液48例,结核性胸腔积液29例,非特异性炎症4例,化脓性胸膜炎2例,结节病1例,病因不明8例,术后疼痛11例,发热3例,出血1例.结论 内科胸腔镜检查有助于进一步明确不明原因胸腔积液的病因,且患者耐受性好、安全、有效,值得临床推广应用.     

胸腔镜对恶性胸腔积液诊断的价值

目的探讨内科胸腔镜对恶性胸腔积液诊断价值。方法 138例恶性胸腔积液患者行内科胸腔镜,取病变组织病理检查。结果获得明确病理结果 130例。镜下表现分为以下4种:①结节120例;②胸膜增厚、纤维组织增生形成分隔或粘连带10例;③胸膜充血、水肿6例,④胸膜弥漫性肥厚、凹凸不平2例。确诊病例中肺癌110例,肺腺癌转移93例,恶性间皮瘤8例,转移癌10例,病理无法定性的恶性胸腔积液5例。所有病例无严重并发症。结论内科胸腔镜检查对恶性胸腔积液诊断是一种安全、有效的方法。     

The use of thoracoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases]

The procedure and results of thoracoscopy by using a fiberoptic bronchoscope and rigid cold-light thoracoscope in 76 cases with chest diseases of unknown causes were reported. The positive diagnostic rate was 89.5% (68/76). The histologic diagnosis following thoracoscopic biopsy in 65 patients was compared with the findings at follow-up, the results showed the sensitivity being 87.7%, specificity 100% and diagnostic accuracy 89.2%. 3 cases with persistent or recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax were cured by Nd-YAG laser transendoscopically. 5 patients with malignant pleural effusion were treated with intrapleural talcum powder under thoracoscopic control, 4 of them obtained complete pleurodesis. There were only minor complications: transient fever in 40 cases and local subcutaneous emphysema in 7. It was concluded that thoracoscopy is simple, safe, reliable and practical in the diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases. It should be popularized clinically.     

A case of malignant mesothelioma showing rapid progression during one month]

A 57-year-old man with massive right pleural effusion was admitted to our hospital. Thoracoscopy revealed, fine granulations and small nodules scattered on the parietal pleura. Biopsy specimens suggested malignant mesothelioma. We performed thoracoscopy again one month later under general anesthesia to make a definitive diagnosis. At that time, the parietal pleura was covered with a large tumor and malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed by biopsy. We could find early pleural lesions of malignant mesothelioma in thoracoscopy. While we managed to make a definitive diagnosis, the tumor progressed rapidly during one month. If malignant pleural mesothelioma is suspected, it is necessary to make all efforts, including surgical biopsy, to diagnose during the early stage of disease.     

What is the significance of non‐specific pleuritis? A trick question

Non‐specific pleuritis (NSP) is defined as fibrinous or inflammatory pleuritis which cannot be attributed to a specific benign or malignant etiology. It can be diagnosed in biopsies in up to 30% of cases of exudative pleuritis after thoracoscopy, with a mean of 19.2%. In 66 out of 469 (14.2%) patients in combined series, a malignant pleural disease (mostly mesothelioma) was found during a follow‐up of at least 21 months. Most likely, a follow‐up time of 12 months is sufficient, although the current routine is a follow‐up of 2 years. Because of a benign course in 85% of patients with NSP, a repeated invasive procedure after thoracoscopy is only indicated in a limited group of patients. The most important indications for a repeated pleural biopsy are persistent chest pain, recurrent pleural effusion, radiologic findings suggestive for malignant pleural disease.     

胸膜疾病纤维支气管镜胸腔诊治的应用价值

目的　探讨纤支镜代胸腔镜诊治胸膜疾病的临床应用价值。方法 对25例自发性气胸和22例胸腔积液患者在局麻下用纤支镜行开放式胸腔检查治疗术。结果 胸腔积液患者的诊断率为95.4%(21/22),包括胸膜转移癌11例,胸膜间皮瘤1例,胸膜结核6例,脓胸3例,气胸患者中13例寻找到肺大疱或胸膜破口,而48%(12例)镜下未见明显异常。结论 局麻下纤支镜代胸腔镜术安全、简便,可直视下观察胸腔病变并进行活检,有利明确积液病因,对脓胸和自发性气胸的诊治也有较大的意义。     

可弯曲内科胸腔镜术对恶性胸腔积液的诊治价值

目的探讨可弯曲内科电子胸腔镜在诊治恶性胸腔积液中的价值。方法经可弯曲内科电子胸腔镜检查确诊的118例恶性胸腔积液的临床资料进行了分析,118例中55例经内科胸腔镜行滑石粉喷洒胸膜固定术。结果 118例均经胸膜活检病理确诊,包括肺癌胸膜转移106例(腺癌74例、鳞癌22例、小细胞癌7例、大细胞癌1例、病理未能分型2例),其他部位胸膜转移6例,胸膜间皮瘤4例,胸膜淋巴瘤2例。胸膜病变主要表现为大小不等的结节、肿块、扁平隆起、白斑、胸膜充血等。胸腔镜下滑石粉胸膜固定术组的胸水控制率为96.4%(53/55),通过胸腔闭式引流管注药的对照组胸水控制率为67.3%(37/55),两组疗效相差显著(P0.01)。胸膜固定术患者术后出现胸痛52例、发热45例,均对症治疗后好转,118例均未发现严重并发症。结论可弯曲内科电子胸腔镜术诊治恶性胸腔积液是一种安全、微创、高效而实用的方法,值得临床广泛推广。     

Der tuberkulöse Pleuraerguss

Approximately one third of the world’s population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and among communicable diseases tuberculosis is the second leading cause of death. The most common type of tuberculosis is pulmonary tuberculosis. Among the extrapulmonary manifestations, tuberculous pleuritis ranks second only after lymphatic tuberculosis. Tuberculous pleuritis is most commonly a disease with acute onset which is self-limiting in the majority of cases. A large proportion of patients though develop some form of active tuberculosis after a latency period. Therefore the correct diagnosis and the initiation of treatment are of the utmost importance. The easiest way to establish the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis is to demonstrate an elevated ADA (adenosine deaminase) in a lymphocytic effusion. Should pleural fluid analysis be nondiagnostic, the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis can be established with percutaneous closed needle biopsy in over 80% of cases. All patients with an undiagnosed pleural effusion after closed needle biopsy require thoracoscopy with selected biopsies taken under direct vision. The diagnostic yield of thoracoscopy is close to 100% in tuberculous pleuritis.     

Effectiveness and safety of diagnostic flexi-rigid thoracoscopy in differentiating exudative pleural effusion of unknown etiology: a retrospective study of 215 patients

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of diagnostic flexi-rigid thoracoscopy in differentiating exudative pleural effusion of unknown etiology.

Methods

A total of 215 patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion were consecutively recruited between January 2011 and February 2013. Thoracoscopy was carried out under local anesthesia, and multisite pleural biopsies were performed using a flexi-rigid thoracoscope. The tolerance of the patients, surgical complications and postoperative pathological diagnosis rate were used to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the thoracoscopy procedures.

Results

All patients, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) >70, could tolerate both the thoracoscopic surgery and pleural biopsy; there were no severe complications. Thoracoscopic findings included pleural hyperaemia, fibrinous adhesion, nodular bulge and fester. The pathological biopsy confirmed diagnoses of malignant tumor (97 cases), tuberculous pleuritis (91 cases), tuberculous empyema (one case), pulmonary schistosomiasis (one case) and unknown etiology (25 cases). The total diagnosis rate was 88.4%. Subcutaneous emphysema occurred in ten cases and fever in six cases, all of which recovered completely with conservative treatment.

Conclusions

Flexi-rigid thoracoscopy had a high diagnosis rate, differentiating exudative pleural effusion of unknown etiology with satisfactory effectiveness and safety. There was high degree of relationship between thoracoscopic appearance and primary disease or tumor classification.     

Thoracoscopic pleural biopsy under local anesthesia using a 2 mm laparoscope]

Thoracoscopy is indicated in patients with undiagnosed effusion after conventional methods. It has been usually performed under general anesthesia or using a thoracoscope with a thoracoscope with a diameter over 5 mm. However, it is an invasive diagnostic technique. We evaluated the feasibility of thoracoscopic pleural biopsy under local anesthesia using a 2 mm laparoscope. Six patients with a pleural effusion of unknown etiology after conventional methods, underwent thoracoscopy under local anesthesia. A 2 mm laparoscope and biopsy forceps (2 mm Minisite, United States Surgical Corp., USA) was used in all patients. Pleural fluid was removed, and the thoracic cavity was inspected. Thoracoscopic intercostal blocks were performed with 1% lidocaine, and then a biopsy was performed. The biopsy specimen was sent for histopathology. Three patients were shown to have carcinomatous pleurisy, two of them with localized lesions less than 10 mm. In the remaining three patients, non-specific diagnoses were made, but long-term follow-up revealed no malignant pleural disease. Although the pictures obtained using a 2 mm laparoscope were inferior in quality, they were adequate for the detection of malignant lesions in the pleural cavity. There were no procedure-related complications. These findings suggest that thoracoscopy using a 2 mm laparoscope is (1) a useful diagnostic tool in cases of pleural malignancy; (2) a minimally invasive method with the advantage of being easily performed under local anesthesia. Thus, thoracoscopic pleural biopsy using a 2 mm laparoscope appears to be useful for undiagnosed pleural effusion.     

内科胸腔镜对老年疑难性胸腔积液的诊断价值

目的内科胸腔镜在诊断老年疑难性渗出性胸腔积液的价值。方法应用内科胸腔镜对56例老年疑难性渗出性胸腔积液患者进行检查,术中对可疑病变部位进行直视下多点活检,比较镜下表现与病理结果相关性,评价手术的安全性。结果56例疑难性渗出性胸腔积液患者中病理确诊51例,诊断阳性率92．9％,其中转移性腺癌16例（28．5％）,鳞癌7例（12．5％）,小细胞癌2例（3．6％）,食道癌胸膜转移1例（1．8％）,淋巴瘤2例（3．6％）,恶性胸膜问皮瘤4例（7．1％）,结核病20例（35．7％）,非特异性慢性炎症2例（3．6％）;2例（3．6％）病理为阴性,所有病例均未发生严重并发症。结论内科胸腔镜检查对老年性疑难性渗出性胸腔积液诊断阳性率高、简单、安全、并发症发生率低。     

Adenosine deaminase 2 in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis

PURPOSE: We examined the usefulness of adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA2) in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis. SUBJECTS: A hundred cases, 78 male and 22 female, with pleural effusion were examined. With regard to pleural effusion, 18 cases were transudate and 82 cases (9 tuberculous pleuritis, 27 lung cancer, 8 mesothelioma, 5 malignant diseases except lung cancer and mesothelioma, 5 benign asbestos pleurisy, 10 empyema, 10 parapneumonic effusion, one SLE, one parasitic infection, and 6 undetermined etiology) were exudates. The last 6 cases with unknown origin were excluded in this study. RESULTS: Pleural adenosine deaminase (ADA) was 90.4 +/- 22.4 U/l (mean +/- SD) and pleural ADA2 was 80.4 +/- 21.9 U/l in tuberculous pleuritis, both were significantly higher than those in non-tuberculous exudates (p < 0.001). In the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis, pleural ADA showed 100% sensitivity and 88% specificity, whereas pleural ADA2 showed 100% sensitivity and 91% specificity. CONCLUSION: Pleural ADA2 is useful in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis, which has similar sensitivity and a little better specificity compared with pleural ADA.