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Analysis Study Research Paper | Medical Surgical | India | Volume 12 Issue 1, January 2023 | Popularity: 5.1 / 10

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Role of VATS Biopsy in Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion - Our Institutional Experience

Dr. S. Manimaran, Dr. Naveen Elangovan, Dr. Renjith Singh

Abstract: Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in undiagnosed pleural effusions. Methods: We examined the medical records of all consecutive patients with undiagnosed pleural effusions who underwent VATS between January 2020 to December 2021 at Rajiv Government General Hospital, Chennai. We included 20 males (66.7%) and 10 females (33.7%) with a mean age of 45 y (range, 35?88 y) in the study. VATS was performed under general anesthesia. Pleural drainage and/or biopsies were performed through a small incision. A single chest tube was placed from the port entry after the procedure. The chest tube was kept in place for a minimum of 3 days and removed when the fluid drainage was less than 100 ml/24 h. Patients were discharged the day after chest tube removal and a follow up visit was scheduled on postoperative day of 1 month for clinical evaluation and a new chest roentgenogram. Results: Pleural fluid cytology was done in all patients, whereas biopsies were performed in 25 patients (83.3%). Histopathological examination of biopsies demonstrated that 32% of patients had a malignancy of the pleura and 14 (56%) were granulomatous inflammations, and 3 (12%) were non-specific. The over-all diagnostic yield of VATS pleural biopsy in the study was 25/30 (83.3%). The most common primary lung cancer in our study was adenocarcinoma (32%). The most common metastatic tumors originated from breast cancers (3), lung cancers (2), and 5 patients with other types of malignancies. None of them had intraoperative mortality. Discussion and Conclusion: Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery is well tolerated and a very safe procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of undiagnosed pleural effusions.

Keywords: Pleural effusion, Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery, Malignancy

Edition: Volume 12 Issue 1, January 2023

Pages: 339 - 341

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