Thoracoscopy, also called pleuroscopy, is a medical procedure in which a flexible viewing tube called a thoracoscope or fluoroscope is inserted into the patient’s chest. When the thoracoscope is inserted through the chest, 1 to 2 small cuts (incisions) are made on the side of the chest between the ribs and through the chest wall. The device is inserted through an incision in the chest cavity. In procedures used to remove small lung tumors, other incisions are used to place surgical instruments in the chest. The patient is given general anesthesia or conscious sedation to avoid patient discomfort.
Thoracoscopy is commonly used to diagnose chest cavity problems such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, tuberculosis, etc. But it can also be used for other chest ailments.