Thoracoscopy:
A procedure in which the inside of the chest cavity is viewed or "explored" with a thoracoscope. A thoracoscope is an endoscopic instrument, which is usually composed of either two channels. In a two-channel thoracoscope, one channel is a fiber optic light channel that allows the surgeon to bring light into the chest cavity. The other channel is an optic system that allows the surgeon to look down the scope into the chest cavity, and to introduce instruments that can be used to obtain pieces of abnormal tissue (biopsies).
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