Abnormal symptoms that happen to the pleura is one of the diseases that is difficult to be diagnosed. If a doctor is unable to check water in lung open surgery may be considered for a case to find out what is an exact cause of symptoms; such a process could be difficult and quite expensive. As a result, today we have a new approach to examine a condition called Pleuroscopy for direct diagnosis without open/big surgery which gives patients a better quality of life.
What is Pleuroscopy?
Pleuroscopy is a treatment approach using endoscopy for examining condition that risks to pleurisy or any diseases link to the pleura; in general, inside our lungs there is a gap between the lungs and the chest wall at the same time when we breathe there is also space for the breathing; moreover, the pleura will protects the lungs from being hit while small amount of water inside it prevents friction of pleura’s layers (2 layers)
Layer of the pleura is divided into 2 parts: the pleura around the chest and the pleura around the lung tissue furthermore whenever it has some abnormality occur water then will start to accumulate constantly in the lung cavity patients therefore struggle at breathing due to the water compressing on the lung and heart. A condition leads to infectious pleurisy and spread cancer for that reason the Pleuroscopy must be used to provide actual cause to the doctor which assists for a next optimal treatment.
Groups of patients that require the Pleuroscopy
The Pleuroscopy is not the first method for detecting pleurisy symptom but it will be used in case of checking or measuring the water in lungs at the same time randomizing for pleural examination will not make doctor find the disease thus, the pleuroscopy will be applied for checking what is happening within the patient’s lung cavity.
In the event that the cause of disease is detected according to doctor’s discretion treatment can be provided immediately or he may perform chest tube insertion.
Patients who cannot be treated with Pleuroscopy
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- The patient who is unable to lie on his side
For Pleuroscopy treatment the patient is required to lie on the side in order to have tube insertion around the ribs however if they are unable to do that the examining then will not be given; this diagnosis each time takes around 1-2 hours.
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- Patients who have problems with gap between the chest
This treatment requires enough space inside the chest for endoscopy screening as a result, if it has limited space or there is fascia contained inside this treatment will also not be used.
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- Patients with unstable blood pressure
Patients with unstable blood pressure problem may not be able to be treated with endoscopic therapy or Pleuroscopy however this depends on the doctor’s discretion that he can either prepare medicine or handle some side effects during procedure effectively or not
The advantages of pleuroscopy treatment
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- Patients can get recover fast – because this method is considered as one of MIS (minimal invasive surgery) patient will be 1 or 2 spots of 1 centimeter lesion after procedure while patients will only have 3-5 days to recover at a hospital.
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- The risk of procedure is less than the open surgery – the treatment causes minimal pain ; it does not injure the vessels, nerves including lung tissue; and when surgery is needed only the skin of pleura will be affected.
- Doctor can find the most appropriate procedure to each patient which directs to individual condition and also lowers the time of recovery together with provision of better quality of life to the patients.
Dr. Poonnapong hansiriphan
Medicine Center
Phyathai 2 Hospital, 1st Floor, Building A
Tel. +662-617-2444 Ext. 4104, 4106
