[Thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma]

The Authors assess the results of thoracoscopy in 21 cases of pleural mesothelioma observed over the period from 1982 to 1991. The procedure yielded a correct diagnosis in 18 cases (in 2 cases, CTM due to adenoma at cytology allowed histological definition of the tumour). In 3 cases, thoracoscopy failed to detect the tumour, which was confirmed at a later stage. This type of investigation is indicated for the diagnosis of all pleural diseases and, in particular, for diagnosing mesothelioma (reliability in our series: 85.7%).