ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Chest tubes are used for drainage of the pleural cavity. Traditionally, large-bore catheters are inserted for all indications, but there has been a recent tendency to use small-bore catheters. We share the results of our experience of using small-bore catheters for almost all indications routinely in our clinic. METHODS: A collective total of 309 small-bore chest catheters (10 F) were inserted via the Seldinger technique in 287 patients during a 5-year-period. Malignant pleural effusion and pneumothorax were the most common indications for chest tube insertion. RESULTS: The mean catheter duration was 5.6 days, being 5 days for pneumothorax and 6 days for malignant pleural effusion. Pleurodesis was performed effectively for malignant pleural effusions. In this series, the failure rate of small-bore catheters was 7.2 %. CONCLUSION: Based on our clinical experience of using small-bore catheters, we believe that they are potentially effective for almost all pleural pathologies. Our results concur with those in the literature, but this series also includes different pleural diseases requiring chest tube insertion.
Subject(s)
Catheterization/methods , Catheters, Indwelling , Catheters , Chest Tubes , Pleural Effusion, Malignant/therapy , Pneumothorax/therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pleural Cavity , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Autofluorescence (AF) examination in thoracoscopy has not been used frequently. Here, our aim was to determine whether AF examination contributes additional information to white-light (WL) examination when attempting to detect malignant pleural lesions. We also liked to know whether the effectiveness of WL and AF-mode combination would be different for various pathologies or lesions of the pleura. METHODS: It is a retrospective study. Thirty-three patients with unexplained exudative pleural effusions underwent AF-assisted video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Patients' data from the files were evaluated. In each case, the pleural cavity was thoroughly examined under WL alone and then in AF mode. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of AF-assisted VATS for detecting malignant pleural lesions were 78.7 and 85%, respectively, and there were 21.3% false negatives. In the group with metastatic pleural disease, AF VATS correctly identified all lesions as AF positive, whereas sensitivity was lower for the group with malignant mesothelioma. Seven lesions, which were not diagnosed under WL, were detected in AF mode. CONCLUSION: The overall sensitivity of AF-assisted VATS for detecting pleural malignancies was not satisfactory because of diagnostic errors in malignant mesothelioma. But it would be useful in detecting small malignant pleural lesions, which are not diagnosed under WL.
