The future of medical thoracoscopy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Batubara, Enas M; Ibrahim, Ahmed S; Alamro, Suliman M

Medical thoracoscopy (MT) has changed how we manage exudative pleural effusion. It is a minimally invasive procedure used as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in pleural disease. Here, we report a case of a lymphocytic exudative pleural effusion that needed a pleural biopsy for diagnosis. Medical thoracoscopy was performed, a biopsy was taken, and adhesiolysis was performed. Medical thoracoscopy has been practiced for a while worldwide, but it has not been utilized in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and as we believe that it is useful in diagnosing exudative pleural effusions. It limits patients in hospital-stay and it may be less costly than surgical procedures. It is especially helpful in diagnosing and treating pleural effusions in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. Such procedures are needed to ease ongoing financial constraints, and with the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, less time in the hospital means better utilization of beds during the pandemic. Spreading the knowledge about this procedure and its availability in the country will improve the health services provided to the patients.