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Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergology
2003 April, Vol. VI, No. 1 (pp.2044-2048)
The value of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in pleural fluid diagnosis
Rolandas Zablockis, Remigijus Nargela, Edvardas Danila
We performed diagnostic fiberoptic bronchoscopy on 22 patients with malignant pleural effusion and 21 patients with pleural effusion of unknown origin (patients with unexplained pleural effusion after pleural fluid analysis and needle pleural biopsy). In patients with malignant pleural effusion bronchogenic carcinoma were found in 14 (63.64%) and metastatic carcinoma in 8 (36.36%) patients. In patients with pleural effusion unknown cause bronchogenic carcinoma were found in 4 (19.05%) and tuberculosis in 1 (4.76%) patients. Bronchoscopic findings most commons was found in patients with abnormal chest roentgenogram. In patients with normal chest roentgenogram fiberoptic was diagnostic on bronchogenic carcinoma only in one patient with malignant pleural effusion and one patients with pleural effusion of unknown origin.