Ambulatory Intrapleural Fibrinolytic Therapy in Highly Viscous Recurrent Malignant Pleural Effusion

Chuan Tai Foo; Jurgen Herre

doi:10.1159/000515077

Ambulatory Intrapleural Fibrinolytic Therapy in Highly Viscous Recurrent Malignant Pleural Effusion

Case Rep Oncol. 2021 Mar 16;14(1):466-469. doi: 10.1159/000515077. eCollection 2021 Jan-Apr.

Authors

Chuan Tai Foo¹, Jurgen Herre¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is common in lung cancer. We report a case of highly viscous recurrent MPE associated with lung cancer. The viscosity prohibited gravity-dependent drainage initially with a 6-Fr aspiration catheter and subsequently with a 12-Fr intercostal drain. The effusion was eventually evacuated after a single dose of intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy. This process was repeated a total of 13 times over a 12-month period in an ambulatory setting. No bleeding complications were observed. This case highlights the feasibility and safety of repeated intrapleural fibrinolysis in the management of highly viscous recurrent MPE in an ambulatory setting.

Keywords: Intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy; Lung cancer; Malignant pleural effusion; Viscous pleural effusion.

Publication types

Case Reports