Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy: A Focus on Indications, Techniques and Complications

Michele Piazzolla; Cosimo C De Pace; José M Porcel; Pasquale Tondo

doi:10.1016/j.arbres.2024.04.019

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy: A Focus on Indications, Techniques and Complications

Arch Bronconeumol. 2024 Apr 30:S0300-2896(24)00130-3. doi: 10.1016/j.arbres.2024.04.019. Online ahead of print.

[Article in English, Spanish]

Authors

Michele Piazzolla¹, Cosimo C De Pace², José M Porcel³, Pasquale Tondo⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy; Thoracic Surgery Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
² Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy; Department of Specialistic Medicine, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Policlinico of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. Electronic address: cosimo.depace@unifg.it.
³ Pleural Medicine Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain.
⁴ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy; Department of Specialistic Medicine, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Policlinico of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.

PMID: 38744546
DOI: 10.1016/j.arbres.2024.04.019

Abstract

The main purpose of this narrative review is to educate general practitioners about a crucial pleural procedure, namely local anesthetic thoracoscopy (LAT), and to provide established respiratory physicians with an expert opinion-based summary of the literature. This narrative review focuses on the indications, technical aspects and complications of LAT, highlighting its safety and high degree of diagnostic sensitivity for patients who present with an unexplained pleural effusion and have a high pre-test probability of cancer.

Keywords: LAT; Local anesthetic thoracoscopy; Malignant pleural effusion; Medical thoracoscopy; Pleuroscopy.

Publication types

Review