The Long-term Prognosis of Patients With the Diagnosis of Nonmalignant Pleural Effusions After Pleuroscopy

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated the diagnostic yield of medical thoracoscopy (pleuroscopy) in making the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). No previous studies, however, have reported long-term outcomes for patients undergoing diagnostic pleuroscopy in whom no malignancy was demonstrated either with cytologic examination of pleural fluid or pathologic examination of thoracoscope-guided pleural biopsies. We report the results of long-term follow-up (at least 3 y) of patients with the diagnosis of nonmalignant pleural effusions (NMPEs) after pleuroscopy. One hundred and nineteen patients underwent the procedure between 1994 and 2003 at Lahey Clinic. We report a retrospective review of 25 of those patients diagnosed with NMPE after diagnostic pleuroscopy. All 25 patients underwent thoracoscopic pleural biopsy and cytologic examination of the effusion. Outcomes were assessed using review of the medical records, appointment scheduler, social security death index, and/or telephone conversation with primary care providers. Mean age±SD was 68 years (range, 34 to 87 y). Median survival time was estimated at 114 months. Concomitant illness was also evaluated: 40% (n=10) diabetes, 64% (n=16) coronary artery disease, 40% (n=10) congestive heart failure, 20% (n=5) liver disease, 20% (n=5) renal disease, and 36% (n=9) pulmonary disease. Final diagnoses after pleuroscopy most commonly included chronic pleuritis (n=7) and pleural plaques (n=5). Survival was found at 1 year to be 88% (22/25), 3 years 80% (20/25), and 5 years 74.7% (19/25). None of the 25 patients developed subsequent MPE. Patients with NMPE after pleuroscopy have a favorable prognosis and are unlikely to be subsequently diagnosed with an MPE.