Pleural Effusion Diagnosed by Medical Thoracoscopy among Patients Admitted in the Chest Ward of a Tertiary Care Centre

Abstract

Introduction: Pleural effusion is a medical condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity. Medical thoracoscopy, also known as pleuroscopy, is a minimally invasive procedure with a high diagnostic yield. It is an ideal diagnostic tool for resource-limited countries like Nepal. However, the data regarding the use of thoracoscopy to observe undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion is not sufficient in Nepal. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion with the help of thoracoscopy.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using retrospective data of patients who underwent medical thoracoscopy for undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion at the chest unit, Department of Medicine, between the period of 01 Jan 2018 to 31 July 2024 after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board. Whole sampling method was used. The data of patients undergoing medical thoracoscopy for undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion during the study period were included. The data with missing information and incomplete diagnoses were excluded from the study. Data were entered and analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0.

Results: Out of 3201 admissions of patients, the prevalence of undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion was found to be 45 (1.41%). Effusion was gross in 25 (55.5%) patients. Effusion was found to be on the right side in 25 patients (55.5%).

Conclusions: The prevalence of undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion in our study was found to be lower than other studies in similar settings.