[Video-assisted thoracoscopic biopsy in the diagnosis of idiopathic interstitial lung disease]

Surgical lung biopsy is indicated in the diagnosis of idiopathic interstitial lung disease in more than 30% of patients. Our study analyses the technical evolution of the surgery during recent years in our department and the results of thoracoscopic lung biopsy. We retrospectively analysed 31 consecutive patients who underwent thoracoscopic lung biopsy from Jan. 1 2000 to Dec. 31 2004; 16 were male and 15 female with a mean age of 58.17 +/- 11.84 years. From September 1991 to December 1999 we performed another 40 lung biopsies. The SPSS software package was used to process the data. All patients but one underwent bronchial lavage and transbronchial biopsy preoperatively, without obtaining a correct diagnosis. Surgical biopsy findings were diagnostic in all patients. The conversion rate to thoracotomy was 20.7%. The mean operative time was 67.9 +/- 16.7 minutes and a mean number of 2.4 +/- 0.8 wedge lung biopsies were performed. The mean chest drain duration and hospital stay were 6.0 +/- 4.7 days and 7.9 +/- 4.7 days, respectively. The perioperative minor complication rate was 6.9% and the mortality rate 0%. Our results confirm that thoracoscopy has a diagnostic accuracy of 100% with low complication and mortality rates. These results compare well with those of open lung biopsy.