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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
[Medical thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of complicate pleural effusion]
Hong-Zhong Yang1, Cheng-Ping Hu, Hua-Ping Yang
1Department of Respiratory Diseases, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Objective:
To evaluate the role of medical thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of the pleural effusion of unknown etiology.
Methods:
The results of 36 patients with the pleural disease of unknown etiology diagnosed by medical thoracoscopy were retrospectively analyzed, including the pathologic results and the complications.
Results:
Among the 36 patients, 35 were determined with positive rate of 97.2%, and no serious complications was found.
Conclusion:
Medical thoracoscopy is an important method of diagnosing complicate pleural effusion, and has high positive rate. It is a simple operation, with no serious complication, and fast recovery.
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Assessment:
1. Clinical Evaluation:
History:
