Pleurodesis

Excerpt

Pleurodesis is a procedure performed to obliterate the pleural space to prevent recurrent pleural effusions, pneumothorax, or to treat a persistent pneumothorax. Pleurodesis is commonly accomplished by draining the pleural fluid or intrapleural air followed by either a mechanical procedure or instilling a chemical irritant into the pleural space, which causes intense inflammation and fibrosis subsequently leading to adhesions between the two pleural membranes. Pleurodesis is most commonly used for recurrent malignant pleural effusions, e.g., in the metastatic breast or ovarian cancer and lung cancer. Due to the limited life expectancy of these patients, the purpose of the therapy is to minimize dyspnea, patient discomfort, length of hospital stay, and overall treatment cost. There are two types of pleurodesis

1. Chemical pleurodesis: It is done by inserting a sclerosing agent into the pleural cavity via a chest tube.

2. Mechanical/surgical pleurodesis: This is done through medical thoracoscopy, video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS), or open thoracotomy.