[Clinical diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma].

Accurate and rapid diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma is important because of its rapid progress. But diagnosis of this disease is often difficult. We reviewed 64 cases with a pathological diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma in the past 14 years in our hospital. We made diagnosis of this disease by cytologic study of pleural fluid (11 cases), percutaneous needle biopsy (16), thoracoscopic biopsy (34), or surgery (2). When cytologic findings are inconclusive, thoracoscopic biopsy is the most effective method for diagnosis and should be done without delay.