Talc pleurodesis through small-bore percutaneous tubes

Pleurodesis using talc as the sclerosing agent is an effective procedure fo r preventing reaccumulation of malignant pleural effusions. Because of its thickness, the talc slurry is usually instilled through large bore (20-28 F r), surgically placed thorocostomy tubes. However, these tubes often cause considerable patient discomfort. Herein we report a series of eight patient s in whom the talc slurry was inserted through 10 and 12 Fr percutaneous ch est tubes. Six of the eight patients (75%) had a successful pleurodesis wit hout a reaccumulation of fluid. We conclude that this is an acceptable meth od for treating patients with malignant pleural effusions.