Palliative treatment of malignant pleural effusions: value of small-bore catheter thoracostomy and doxycycline sclerotherapy.
- 1 March 1995
- journal article
- Published by American Roentgen Ray Society in American Journal of Roentgenology
- Vol. 164 (3) , 589-591
- https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.164.3.7532350
Abstract
This study evaluates small-bore catheter thoracostomy combined with doxycycline sclerotherapy for palliative treatment of presumed malignant pleural effusions.Forty-seven consecutive patients referred from the medical oncology department to the thoracic radiology section with known primary malignant tumors and symptomatic pleural effusions over a 2-year period were treated with small-bore pleural catheter drainage followed by doxycycline sclerotherapy. Of the 47 patients, 20 (43%) died less than 30 days after sclerotherapy, one (2%) died without radiographic follow-up, and five (11%) were lost to follow-up. Twenty-one patients formed the study group. Response to treatment was defined based on findings on follow-up chest radiographs obtained 30 days after sclerotherapy as complete (no reaccumulation of pleural effusion), partial (accumulation above postpleurodesis level but below that at presentation), or as a failure (reaccumulation to the amount seen at presentation).Seventeen (81%) evaluable patients sh...Keywords
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