Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
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J R Coll Surg Edinb · Jun 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialThoracoscopy versus open lung biopsy in the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease: a randomised controlled trial.
Some patients with diffuse lung disease require a lung biopsy for diagnosis. This study is aimed to compare the clinical results and the efficacy of video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy with the open lung biopsy method for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. From January 1996 to December 1998, 61 patients were referred for diagnostic lung biopsy. Thirty two patients were randomly allocated to have a thoracoscopic lung biopsy and twenty nine had an open lung biopsy. Subsequently, various factors were analyzed and compared in both groups. ⋯ Thoracoscopic lung biopsy has some clinical advantages over open biopsy. These findings suggest that thoracoscopic lung biopsy is an acceptable alternative to open lung biopsy for the diagnosis of diffuse interstitial lung diseases.