gms | German Medical Science

During a time of36month we performed 115 video-assisted thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis because of malignant pleural effusions.These patients(70woman and 45 men) has been evaluated relative to kind of primary cancer, time of hospitlisation, dyspnoea after surgery and survival. Shortest survival we found in patients with ovariancancer(average 2,2 month), followed by patients with bronchial cancer (6,2 month).Next isCUPandmesotheliomawith survival average 10-11 Monaten.Longest survival we found inpatients with breastcancer(average 12,4 month). Survival in patient with breast cancer was longer, if the ablation was carried out lot of years ago. We found biological exceptions: in the groups breast cancer, ovarian cancer and und mesothelioma still one femal patient is alive - seems to bee a survival advantage for women. These patients never suffered from pleural effusions or dyspnoea after surgery again,wichconfirms thelong time success oftalc pleurodeses. We don`t doubt the fact of success of talc pleurodesis, we just ask to give borderlines for indication.It should become standard, to determine pH and glucose of the effusion and karnovsky index. In case of lowering we dont recommend the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. We recommend a indwelling pleural catheter as demonstrated.