[Thoracoscopy: therapeutic value in emergency pleuro-pulmonary syndromes and diagnostic value (author's transl)]

Thoracoscopy, a diagnostic method of high precision, may be considered to be a lifesaving gesture in certain dramatic situations. It offers the possibility of a precise diagnosis and effective therapeutic measures, which may be performed endoscopically. Such dramatic situations are represented above all by haemopneumothorax, high tension spontaneous pneumothorax and fulminating pleural effusions, as in Meigs syndrome. Pathology involved may range from traumatic, degenerative or inflammatory conditions to tumours of pathognomic malformations. A number of clinical cases spectacular by virtue of their clinical features, endoscopic diagnosis and successful treatment in dramatic circumstances, are presented.