The sensitivity of thoracoscopic biopsy was 98% (185 positive biopsies including ‘extended
thoracoscopy’ out of 188 patients). In the 3 cases where this examination failed, thick adhe-
sions prevented specimen collection and the diagnosis was only mesothelial hyperplasia.
Conclusive biopsy samples were obtained by Abrams needle biopsy (1 patient), repeat tho-
racoscopy (1 patient) and sur gical biopsy (1 patient). The histologic type of mesothelioma
was epithelial in 135 cases (72%), mixed in 38 (20%), and fibrosarcomatous in 15 (8%).
In contrast with the almost perfect sensitivity of thoracoscopy, the cumulativ.
