Cryotherapy in Semirigid Thoracoscopy for Debridement of Multiloculated Empyema

Surgical intervention is occasionally required for the treatment of pleural empyema. Semirigid thoracoscopy is a safe and successful surgical approach utilized by interventional pulmonologists, conventionally utilizing flexible forceps and suction as the main tools, but they can sometimes be inefficient for more complicated cases. In debriding a case of multiloculated empyema with semirigid thoracoscopy, we report the novel use of cryotherapy in clearing adhesions from the pleural cavity. We found using the cryoprobe to be more efficient than using forceps and suggest further investigation into its use in medical thoracoscopy.