Yield of medical thoracoscopy in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion: a 3-year retrospective multicenter study

Background The diagnosis of the etiology of exudative pleural effusion is a great challenge in clinical practice.Aims To evaluate the diagnostic value of medical thoracoscope in unexplained exudative effusions and the frequency of various diagnoses in a multicenter study in Egypt.Patients and methods A retrospective analysis was done of all thoracoscopies done at our centers for diagnosis of the cause of the exudative pleural effusion.Results Among 542 thoracoscopies performed at our centers, definite diagnosis was reached in 476 (87.8%) cases. Malignancy was the most common diagnosis (60.7%) followed by tuberculosis (24.5%).Conclusion Thoracoscopy was a safe and efficient tool for diagnosis. Malignancy and tuberculosis were the most common etiologies.