Pleural Ultrasonography in Lung Cancer

Hypotheses:

• Pleural ultrasonography with evaluation, quantification and aspiration of pleural effusion allows for improved pre-operative staging and alters decision-making patterns for lung cancer patients.
• Pleural ultrasonography with evaluation of appropriate diaphragmatic respiratory movement can predict post-operative complications in patient undergoing lung cancer surgery.

Objectives:

The goals of this project within the program are to:

• Evaluate the improvement in pre-operative staging with the addition of pre-operative pleural ultrasonography for malignant pleural effusion.
• Evaluate the ability of pre-operative diaphragmatic ultrasound to predict post-operative morbidity following pulmonary surgery.

Methodology:

This study will consist of a prospective evaluation of surgeon-performed pleural and diaphragmatic ultrasound in the pre-operative evaluation of lung cancer patients. All patients being seen in the thoracic surgery pre-operative clinic with the new or presumed diagnosis of lung cancer will be approached for prospective enrolment into the study. Consented patients will undergo standard history and physical examination by the treating thoracic surgeon. During or after the physical examination, PULC will be performed by the study investigators.

Measurements will include: (1) bilateral diaphragmatic excursion during sniffing, (2) pleural fluid evaluation in bilateral costophrenic sulci. Should pleural fluid be found on the ipsilateral side to the mass (tumor), the fluid will be aspirated under sterile conditions in the clinic and sent for cytology analysis. US evaluation will be performed in the upright, supine and decubitus position.

Results will be analyzed using parametric methodology in order to ascertain the additional information gained and the change in staging (upstaging) with the addition of PULC to standard history and physical examination during the initial evaluation of thoracic surgical patients.

The study will enrol 50 patients. Recruitment will occur at the thoracic outpatient surgical clinic at the CHUM. Enrolment is expected at a level of five patients per week and therefore the study recruitment is expected to take 2.5 months.

Impact:

The potential impact of a positive trial will change the way clinicians evaluate, stage and risk stratify patients who are to undergo operative interventions for lung cancer.

Inclusion criteria

• Lung lesion being evaluated for surgery during initial consultation with a thoracic surgeon

Exclusion criteria

• Age < 18 years old
• Inability to consent for the study
• Chest wall anatomy precluding PULC
• Inability to sit upright
• Medications including Warfarin (Coumadin) or Clopidogrel (Plavix) in patient requiring pleural fluid aspiration
• Active cutaneous infection overlying proposed puncture site