Thoracic ultrasound-guided real-time pleural biopsy in the diagnosis of pleural diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Real-time thoracic ultrasound-guided pleural biopsy (TUSPB) is an important diagnostic method for pleural diseases. Traditional two-dimensional thoracic ultrasound, as well as newly developed contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and ultrasound elastography (UE), are all used as guidance tools for pleural biopsies. Herein, we aimed to determine the diagnostic yield of real-time TUSPB for pleural diseases to better inform the decision-making process. A literature search of the MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases was performed up to June 2023. A binary random-effects model was applied to determine the pooled diagnostic yield. Fifteen studies comprising 1553 patients with pleural diseases were included and analyzed. The overall diagnostic yield of TUSPB for pleural diseases was 85.58% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 81.57–89.58%). The sensitivity was 77.56% for pleural malignancy and 80.13% for tuberculous pleurisy. The sub-analysis result revealed that CEUS-guided pleural biopsy provided a pooled diagnostic yield of 98.24%, which was higher than that of conventional TUSPB (78.97%; p < 0.01). The overall proportion of adverse events for TUSPB was 6.68% (95% CI: 5.31–8.04%). Conventional TUSPB has good pooled diagnostic yields and high safety. CEUS and UE are promising guidance tools for pleural biopsy with the potential to increase diagnostic yield.