Thorascopy
Used as a diagnostic procedure for both pleural and lung cancer, a thorascopy is an endoscopic examination of the chest wall and surface of the lung.
Purpose of a Thorascopy
Some cancers are more difficult to examine than others because of their location, so doctors and researchers have devised a number of different procedures that make examining certain parts of the body easier, eliminating the need to perform invasive surgery or make large incisions.
The thorascopy is such a procedure. It employs the use of a narrow-gauge tube with a viewing mirror or camera attachment, inserted between the ribs and used to examine the chest wall and surface of the lung. The small size of the tube means that only a small incision is necessary to complete the test, unlike the thoracotomy, which requires a large incision.
A thorascopy can assist in:
- Determining the cause of fluid in the chest cavity
- Assessing cancer
- Taking a lung biopsy for study
- Introducing medications directly into the lung
How it's Done
Performed in a hospital under general anesthesia, the thorascopy usually takes between two and four hours to complete. The surgeon will make two or three small incisions in the chest wall, usually between the ribs in order to minimalize damage to muscle and nerves. A tube will also be inserted in the trachea and attached to a ventilator in order to help the patient breathe during the procedure.
The lung to be examined is deflated to create a space between the chest wall and the lung. The patient breathes with the other lung and the ventilator. The narrow tube is inserted through one incision and any other instruments needed to gather tissue samples, etc. are inserted through the other.
After the procedure, a chest tube will remain in one of the incisions for several days to drain fluid and release residual air from the chest cavity. Barring any complications, the patient will probably require a two- to five-day hospital stay.
Last modified: September 22 2008.
