ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the treatment of interapleural talc on the patients with malignant pleural effusion.Method There were 44 patients with malignant pleural effusion in the study.Every cases was inserted a chest drain to release the effusion with the rate of 200 ml per 2 hours.When there was no evidence of fluid in the pleural space as assessed by plain chest roentgenography,the talc slurry containing 4 g talc、40 ml of saline solution (0.9%) and 5 ml of 2% lidocaine was injected via the intercostal drain into the pleural space.An additional 20 ml of saline solution was used to flush the drain.Then,the drain was clamped,and the patient was asked to change position to allow adequate distribution of talc.After 2 hours,the drain was opened again.When the drainage decreased to less than 150 ml per 24 hours,the chest drain was removed.Result complete success was observed in 36 cases (81.8%),partial success in 6 cases (13.7%),and ineffective success in 2 cases (4.5%).There were 21 (47.7%) and 24 (54.4%) cases experienced pleuritic pain and fever after talc pleurodesis respectively,1 cases suffered from respiratory insufficiency which controled by using glucocorticoid later.Conclusion The talc pleurodesis is an effective treatment for the patients with malignant pleural effusion.It is safe and easily performed,and should be used extensively in clinic.