Use of cryobiopsy during pleuroscopy for diagnosis of sarcomatoid malignant mesothelioma

4 5 Table 1 Thomas et al 5 Rozman et al 4 Number of patients 22 15 Gender (male/female) 21/1 12/3 Technique 2.4 mm cryoprobe applied to abnormal parietal pleura with 3 s freeze time 2.4 mm cryoprobe applied to abnormal parietal pleura with 3 s freeze time Size (median, 25-75 IQR) 10, 7-15.8 mm - Crush artefacts 2/22 (9.1%) 18/42 specimens (42.9%) Diagnosis 21/22 (95.5%) 14/15 (93.3%) Malignancy 13 Mesothelioma: 11 (epithelioid/not specified) Metastatic cancer: 1 Lymphoma: 1 14 Mesothelioma: 9 (not specified) Adenocarcinoma: 4 Synovial sarcoma: 1 Benign fibrinous pleuritis 8 0 Non-specific 1 1 Complications 5/22 (mild bleeding) 14/15 (mild bleeding) 2/15 (pain) Our report describes sarcomatoid malignant mesothelioma diagnosed by pleuroscopic cryobiopsy where corresponding specimens with standard forceps were negative.