الفهرس 
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Abstract
Early interest in thoracoscopy as a clinical tool was in 1910 by Jacobaeus who pioneered its use for diagnosis and treatment of patients with tuberculous effusions. However, its use received scanty attention until recently where the rediscovery of thoracoscopy is rapidly gaining momentum. Eighty patients with different pleuropulmonary diseases were included in this study to evaluate the usefulness of thoracoscopy. The diagnostic yield of thoracoscopy in cases of malignant pleural effusions was 61.8% compared to pleural fluid cytology and needle biopsies which yielded 30.3% and 48.5% respectively, and in cases of tuberculous effusions thoracoscopy was diagnostic in 100% while the needle biopsies were diagnostic in 40/6 of cases. Thoracoscopy also provided the aetiological diagnosis in 66.7% of cases with pneumothorax and in 40% of cases with peripheral pulmonary tumors without effusion. In 2 cases thoracoscopy allowed removal of intrapleural foreign bodies and hence avoided the inevitable thoracotomy. Complications occurred in 17.5% (14 out of 80 cases). Two patients developed ernpyernas which responded to tube drainage and antibiotic therapy, 2 patients with haemothorax and received blood transfusion. 3 patients developed.