Beyond diagnosis: maximizing the role of medical thoracoscopy in pleural disease treatment

Kaige Wang; Ling Zuo; Panwen Tian; Fen Tan; Weimin Li

doi:10.1186/s12931-024-03001-y

Beyond diagnosis: maximizing the role of medical thoracoscopy in pleural disease treatment

Respir Res. 2024 Nov 11;25(1):406. doi: 10.1186/s12931-024-03001-y.

Authors

Kaige Wang^#¹, Ling Zuo^#^{1

2}, Panwen Tian¹, Fen Tan^{3

4}, Weimin Li^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
² Integrated Care Management Center, Outpatient Department, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, China.
³ Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, 410005, Hunan, Changsha, China. [email protected].
⁴ Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China. [email protected].
⁵ Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. [email protected].
⁶ Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China. [email protected].

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Medical thoracoscopy has been extensively utilized in the diagnosis of pleural disease, yet its potential therapeutic applications remain underutilized. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the various uses of medical thoracoscopy in managing pleural diseases. It has been employed to facilitate thoracic drainage and reduce hospitalization duration of patients with complicated parapneumonic effusions and empyema. Additionally, medical thoracoscopic occlusion therapy can be used for bronchoscopic closure and refractory pneumothorax. However, there is currently a lack of standardized protocols for utilizing medical thoracoscopy to reduce the volume of giant emphysematous bullae. Furthermore, medical thoracoscopy allows for pleurodesis or photodynamic therapy in patients with malignant pleural effusion. Nevertheless, further high-quality clinical research is needed to validate these findings.

Keywords: Medical thoracoscopy; Pleural disease; Treatment.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Pleural Diseases* / diagnosis
Pleural Diseases* / therapy
Pleurodesis / methods
Thoracoscopy* / methods
Treatment Outcome