To obtain lung tissue for examination to confirm or rule out lung diseases, including lung cancer. To investigate causes of unexplained fluid in the pleural cavity. How it works A flexible tube that resembles a miniature telescope, a tiny camera, and surgical instruments are inserted through three tiny incisions in the chest wall, allowing the surgeon to view and take samples from the lungs. An arterial blood gas and a pulmonary function test may also be done. You must fast for 12 hours before the procedure.
General anesthesia is administered, and preparations for chest surgery are made.
The surgeon makes several incisions in your chest and inserts suction tubes that remove blood during the surgery. This creates a space between the lung and chest wall that provides the doctor with a good view of the lung and inner chest structures. The thoracoscope, a viewing tube that has a light source and may be flexible or rigid, is inserted into the space between the lung and the chest wall. The camera displays the image on TV screens. The doctor examines the surface of the lung, makes a cut through the pleura, and removes tissue samples of the pleura and the lung.