Diagnostic yield of closed pleural brushing.

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic yield of closed pleural brushing (CPBR) in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion. Twenty-one adult patients (20 men and 1 woman); aged 62.9 +/- 8.6 were participated to this prospective study. Thoracentesis, CPBR and closed pleural biopsy (CPB) following the brushing were applied to every patient. While CPBR provided diagnosis in 12 (57.1%) of 21 cases, in 3 of these 12 cases, pleural fluid cytology (PFC) and CPB were negative. The sensitivities of PFC, CPBR and CPB in the diagnosis of malignant effusions were 33%, 57% and 52%, respectively. When three procedures were used in combination, the sensitivity increased to 67%. When CPBR is performed in addition to PFC and CPB, the yield of the diagnosis increased 14% additionally. There was no mortality due to these interventions. Complications were chest pain in 3 (14.2%) cases, hypotension in 2 (9.5%) cases, cough in 1 (4.8%) case, pneumothorax in 1 (4.8%) case, and hemothorax in 1 (4.8%) case. In conclusion, CPBR as a safe, simple and well tolerated procedure provides high diagnostic yield in diagnosis of patients with malignant pleural effusion.