Medical Thoracoscopy (Pleuroscopy) Offered by Baltimore-Area Hospital
Interventional pulmonologist, Dr. Sy Sarkar, with The Lung Center at Mercy, offers pleuroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure to detect difficult-to-diagnose pleural conditions.
What is Medical Thoracoscopy (Pleuroscopy)?
Medical thoracoscopy or pleuroscopy, is a minimally invasive procedure performed by an interventional pulmonologist. This procedure allows a lung doctor to look inside the pleural cavity - the space between the lung and chest wall. A doctor may perform a pleuroscopy after an imaging study has been conducted when there is concern for an undiagnosed pleural condition.
In a pleuroscopy, the doctor uses a thin tube with a light and a camera to look at the space between the lung and the chest wall. It is often conducted using local anesthesia and is performed in an outpatient setting.
When is Pleuroscopy recommended?
Medical thoracoscopy or pleuroscopy is most commonly considered for the following conditions:
- Pleural fluid drainage
- Parietal pleural biopsy
- Pleurodesis (a procedure used to eliminate the pleural space and prevent accumulation of fluid)
- Pleural catheter placements
Common causes of pleural fluid accumulation may include lung cancer, mesothelioma and other lung abnormalities.