THORACOSCOPIC TALC POUDRAGE PLEURODESIS FOR MALIGNANT EFFUSIONS - A REVIEW OF 360 CASES

Objective: To assess the efficacy, permanence, and safety of thoracosc opic talc poudrage (ITP) for pleurodesis in malignant effusions, Desig n: Retrospective. Participants: Patients with lifetime follow-up who r eceived TTP in two related centers in Marseilles, France, Results: Thr ee hundred sixty patients were included in this study: 88 had mesothel ioma and 272 had pleural metastases, The mean follow-up time was 12 mo nths (2 to 120). Of the 327 patients whose response could be evaluated , 90.2% had a successful pleurodesis at 1 month, and 82.1% had a lifel ong pleural symphysis. Adverse effects included 1 death 3 days after t he procedure in a patient with end-stage disease, fever (9.8%), empyem a (2.5%), pulmonary infection (0.8%), and malignant invasion of the sc ar (1 patient). Conclusions: TTP is an effective and safe method of li felong pleurodesis. It should be performed early on in the history of malignant effusions to avoid the risk of respiratory failure, this bei ng directly linked to the general and respiratory status of the patien ts at the time of the procedure.