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Updated: May 9, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
An unusual case of thoracic impalement injury with severe pleural adhesion
Tetsuya Yokosuka1, Toshiko Kobayashi, Michimasa Fujiogi
1Department of Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo General Hospital, Ebisu 2-34-10, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0013, Japan, tetsuya_yokosuka@tmhp.jp.
Abstract:
Thoracic impalement injury is an uncommon form of trauma. In the present report, we describe the case of a 78-year-old man who was injured by 2 metal rods. We decided to remove the rod on the right side by performing video-assisted thoracic surgery. However, during this procedure, total pleural adhesion was identified. Therefore, a mini-thoracotomy was performed and the rod was removed safely; the patient's postoperative course was uneventful. The rod on the left side did not pass through the thoracic cavity. There are only a few reports of thoracic impalement injury in literature, and cases with total pleural adhesion are very rare. Careful preoperative planning and a multidisciplinary approach are essential for managing this type of injury.
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