Thoracoscopy for staging of lung cancer

The recent advancements in diagnosis and treatment of thoracic disease have been made mostly in line with advancements in endoscopic equipment design and refinement of thoracoscopic surgery techniques. Between March 1992 and February 1993, video thoracoscopic procedures were performed in 50 patients. Twelve of the 50 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer. Thoracic staging was performed in 6 patients (clinical diagnosis of suspicious intrapulmonary metastasis, 3 patients; intrapulmonary metastasis and/or lymph node metastasis, 1 patient; interlobar pleural effusion, 1 patient; and pleural dissemination, 1 patient). There were no complications or mortality associated with these procedures. Our initial experience has indicated that thoracoscopic staging for lung cancer is a safe and effective procedure.