Important Prognostic Factors for thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis

Abstract

Objective To determine the clinical and thoracoscopic findings that associate with the success of thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis. Materials and methods From July 1999 to June 2000 20 cases of Malignant Pleural effusion (MPE) were managed by thoracoscopy. They comprised one child, 8 males and 11 females. Their ages varied from 15 to 67 years old. The Histology was mainly adenocarcinoma and the stage of disease was at least IIIb. All data about clinical and thoracoscopic findings were recorded. Among these, 8 cases were managed by thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis. The others were only drained. Successful signs were indicated by using clinical chest film and ultrasonography at one month after surgery. Results Five out of 20 cases were successful. All the successful cases had symptoms for less than 3 months duration before thoracoscopy, with no entrapped lung and pleural seeding. Conclusions Although the number of cases in this study is too small for conclusions, certain factors indicate further study in needed in the success of thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis. Those factors are duration of symptoms before the throacoscope, cell type of disease, the presence or absence of entrapped lung and whether there is pleural seeding or not. Chiang Mai Med Bull 2004;43(3):113-119.