Video assisted thoracoscopic biopsy for interstitial lung disease

At the University of Maryland Medical Systems, 356 consecutive thoracoscopic procedures were performed including 147 lung resections for various indications. Forty-nine patients underwent thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. Two patients underwent bilateral procedures after a gap of more than six months for suspected malignancy. There were 28 females and 21 males. Age ranged from 23 to 75 years. The mean length of operation was 45 minutes and the mean length of chest tube duration 1.3 days. There were no deaths, no re-explorations or need to convert to an open thoracotomy. Staphylococcal pneumonia developed in one patient postoperatively requiring admission and intravenous antibiotics. One patient with systemic pulmonary hypertension was ventilator dependent for 48 hours. All patients, except two ventilator dependent patients, were intubated with a double lumen tube. CO2 insufflation at the rate of 2 L/min and pressure of 10 mmHg was used in all patients. Biopsy of at least two lobes was performed in all patients with resection of grossly abnormal lung. A single chest tube was left at the end of the procedure. The tissue diagnosis was interstitial fibrosis in 19 patients. Bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonitis (BOOP) was seen in 7 patients. Foreign body granulomas were seen in 8 patients. Allergic alveolitis was diagnosed in 4 patients. Emphysematous changes with pneumonitis was observed in 3, nonspecific pneumonitis in 2. Anthracosis, connective tissue disorder, leukemic infiltrate with interstitial fibrosis and CMV pneumonitis were observed in one patient each. The clinical diagnosis correlated with pathological diagnosis and intraoperative findings. Thoracoscopy is a safe and effective method for diagnosis of interstitial lung disease.