Pleural problems can affect both males and females. They are rare conditions, which mainly occur in different ways like mesothelioma, infection, pleuritis etc. These health conditions cannot be cured easily. They are dangerous and can cause several symptoms such as chest pain, rapid breathing, hiccups etc.

The best surgical approach is pleural biopsy. In this procedure, a doctor takes sample tissues to check for disease and infection. It can be performed through a special biopsy needle. This surgical treatment is most essential for patients. It is less invasive than open and closed surgical biopsies.

Types of Biopsy Surgery

This surgery is of different kinds. These include the following:

Needle Biopsy: The numbing medicine and special needle are required to perform this surgery. A healthcare provider uses a series of X-ray and the high-frequency sound waves for the guidance of a biopsy needle.
Thoracoscopic Biopsy: The chest gets numbed and a sedative medicine will be given to a patient, which provides a better sleep in him or her. A thin and flexible tube, known as endoscope, is inserted between the two pleural layers. This device helps the healthcare provider to take a small piece of tissue from the pleura easily.
Open Biopsy: A healthcare provider performs this surgery under general anesthesia. He or she makes a small incision to remove a small piece of pleura from the lungs. It is only performed when the sample of a needle biopsy is too small.

Benefits of Pleural Biopsy

The advantages of this surgery are as follows:

It can diagnose cancer, tuberculosis and other health conditions in patients to improve their quality of life.
This minimally invasive surgery determines the type of disease easily.
The cause of pleural infection and pleural effusion can be identified from this surgery.
This surgery helps the patient to recover quickly from the healthcare department.

Risks and Complications

This surgical procedure leads to several complications like other surgeries. These include the following:

Pneumonia
Bleeding and Infection
Bronchopleural fistula
Empyema
Laceration
Pneumothorax
Tumor seeding

Procedure

Before Procedure

The following things that can be expected before the surgical procedure are:

A patient can consult with a healthcare provider associated with pleural issues. He or she is suggested to fill the consent form before the surgical procedure.
Some imaging tests like chest X-ray, ultrasound etc., will be conducted in the healthcare department. They are mainly essential for diagnosing pleural conditions in patients.
A healthcare provider may suggest a patient to avoid blood-thinning medication drugs such as aspirin, warfarin etc.
Some harmful activities such as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol etc., must be stopped before the procedure.
A patient must take fast, that is, avoid eating and drinking for a few days. It may be nauseous and can cause vomiting in them.

During Procedure

The steps that can be performed during the surgery are as follows:

A patient must remove their jewelry and clothes and wear a hospital gown during the surgical procedure.
The oxygen will be provided through a nasal tube or face mask.
A patient is suggested to sit on a hospital bed with their resting arms on the over-bed table. The spaces are created between the ribs so that a surgeon can insert the needle easily.
An antiseptic solution is mainly used at that place where the needle is inserted.
A numbing or local anesthetic medicine will be applied in the biopsy site.
After that, a needle is attached to the ribs and a surgeon removes one or more samples of pleural tissues. Some side effects such as pain or pressure might occur during the surgical procedure.
A patient might hold their breathing activities for certain times.
A surgeon removes a biopsy needle and applies a firm pressure to stop the bleeding. The area will be protected from a sterile bandage or dressing.
The samples are sent to the lab for analysis.
A healthcare provider might perform a chest X-ray after a biopsy procedure.