BACKGROUND Malignant pleural effusion is associated with short life expectancy and significant morbidity. A randomized controlled trial comparing indwelling pleural catheters (IPCs) with talc pleurodesis found that IPCs reduced in-hospital time and the need for additional procedures but were associated with excess adverse events. METHODS Using data from the clinical trial, we compared costs a...

Two patients in whom pleurodesis was used for intractable pleural effusion due to congestive heart failure are described. This procedure eliminated the pleural effusion but resulted in accumulation of fluid in other body compartments. Pleurodesis has a limited role in the treatment of intractable pleural transudates in congestive heart failure.

Talc pleurodesis induces a strong local inflammatory reaction which can be detected by PET scan for years after the procedure. When patients undergo PET scanning in the workup of a suspected malignancy later in life, pleural FDG uptake may unnecessarily lead to an additional invasive diagnostic workup. We present two cases of positive pleural PET findings more than 10 years after talc pleurodes...

A persistent pulmonary air leak, whether as a result of pulmonary surgery or as a result of a traumatic or spontaneous pneumothorax, is a difficult and frustrating problem to manage. Several therapies have been employed, including thoracotomy and repair of the air leak, prolonged tube thoracostomy suction, and chemical pleurodesis. We report two cases in which patients with a prolonged air leak...

The patient was an 84-year-old man patient diagnosed as malignant pleurisy associated with lung cancer. After drainage of the right pleural effusion, pleurodesis with distilled water was performed. Despite the enlargement of the primary lesion of the lung cancer during the follow-up period, the amount of pleural effusion did not increase for more than one year. No adverse effects associated wit...

BACKGROUND Complicated (recurring or persistent) spontaneous pneumothorax requires treatment either by talc pleurodesis with bullae electrocoagulation or, more aggressively, by thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. However, the relative merits of bullectomy, pleurectomy, and pleurodesis have not yet been established in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. METHODS The comp...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Recurrent chylothorax as a complication of lymphoma has had unsatisfactory outcomes. Serial thoracentesis, tube thoracostomy, and pleurodesis via chest tube have been ineffective and compromise the nutritional and immune status of the patient. Medical thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis has been safe and effective in the treatment of some other varieties of recurrent pleural effusio...

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether silver nitrate (SN) is an effective means of pleurodesis. A total of 42 papers were identified using the reported search, of which 8 represented the best evidence to address the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relev...

BACKGROUND Silver nitrate (SN) is an alternative to talc pleurodesis in patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Nevertheless, SN complications have not been thoroughly investigated so far. OBJECTIVE To evaluate frequent adverse events (AE) of SN treatment at three different doses for pleurodesis in patients with MPE. The secondary objective was to evaluate systemic inflammation, effic...

congenital chylothorax is an uncommon cause of respiratory distress and a life-threatening condition in newborns. it is identified by abnormal accumulation of chyle in the pleural space. herein, we report a male infant who was born by a successful vaginal delivery. after the first three days of life, he had feeding difficulties and cyanotic episodes during breastfeeding. on admission, physical ...