Evaluation of safety and diagnostic yield of pleural cryobiopsies during thoracoscopy

Abstract

Abstract Background Biopsies using cryoprobe are now widely used in interventional pulmonology. There are only few data available on the use of cryotechnique through rigid thoracoscopy. Aim The aim of this work was to evaluate the diagnostic yield and safety of pleural cryobiopsies using rigid thoracoscopy. Patients and methods A total of 30 patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion who underwent rigid thoracoscopy were included in our study. Biopsies were obtained from suspicious areas by rigid forceps and cryoprobe. Results A total of 30 patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion have been analyzed. Histopathological results of thoracoscopic pleural biopsies revealed that the most common diagnosis was malignancy (50%), followed by tuberculosis (26.7%). Cryobiopsy specimens were larger than forceps biopsy specimens, with no difference in diagnostic yield (76.7%). Cryotechnique proved to be beneficial in cases of thin highly vascular pleura, allowing easier biopsies with lesser risk of bleeding. In cases of thickened fibrous pleura, there was no difference between both the techniques. Conclusion Pleural cryobiopsies through rigid thoracoscopy is a simple and safe procedure. It has a high diagnostic yield similar to rigid forceps biopsy, and it showed better performance in thin highly vascular pleura where biopsies can be performed with minimal risk of bleeding.

Keywords

• cryobiopsies
• forceps biopsies
• thoracoscopy