Thoracoscopy, historically known as pleuroscopy, refers to a diagnostic or surgical procedure that facilitates the direct visual examination of structures inside the thoracic and pleural cavities of the chest. Thoracoscopy is performed using a specialized instrument with an external light source and a lens for imaging on an external monitor. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, or VATS, comprises a variety of techniques and procedures involving one or more small incisions. VATS typically requires either general anesthesia or local anesthesia combined with sedation. 

Thoracoscopy, a minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedure, allows clinicians to collect precise tissue samples from the pleura with the aid of sophisticated viewing equipment. Thoracoscopy enables surgeons to make reliable diagnoses when investigating abnormal pleural fluid or pleural thickening. Several diagnostic tests, such as computed axial tomography or transbronchial biopsy, also exist for diagnosing pleural pathology, but thoracoscopy exhibits a higher success rate in detecting pleural disease. 

About Dr. Gustavo Stringel: Gustavo Stringel, M.D., has presented and published research on several medical pulmonary topics, including video-assisted thoracoscopy. Currently holding the position of Surgeon in Chief at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York, Dr. Stringel has performed a wide variety of laparoscopic procedures over the course of his career, including laparoscopic appendectomies, laparoscopic cholecystectomies, and diagnostic laparotomies.

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