Pleural Bleomycin vs Mechanical Abrasion in Malignant Pleural Effusion

Malignant pleural effusion cause significant morbidity so drainage effusion can provide great palliation and improve quality of life of these patients. There are several diagnostic tools for diagnosing malignant pleural effusion as pleural fluid cytology, closed pleural biopsy or thoracosopic pleural biopsy. Medical thoracoscopy has significant role in diagnosis and management of malignant pleural effusion. Also, pleurodesis may be performed through it by mechanical methods as pleural abrasion or chemical methods by talc poudrage, bleomycin or cisplatin instillation . and surgically through pleurectomy. Recently, using of ROSE (Rapis On-Site Examination) technique during medical thoracoscopy showed high accuracy for distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions, and this help in decision making. In our study, we will use mechanical pleurodesis by pleural abrasion using medical thoracoscpy and chemical pleurodesis by instillation of bleomycin via indwelling pleural catheter.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients who are 18 years old or more.
• patients with rapidly accumulating moderate & massive malignant pleural. effusion that need frequent aspiration to relieve dyspnea and affect quality of life of the patient.

Exclusion criteria

• patients not fit for thoracoscoy.
• patients with life expectency less than 1 month .
• trapped lung (endobronchial lesion).
• excessive pleural adhesios.
• mild effusion not need frequent aspiration and not affect
• quality of life .
• patients with chest infection : pneumonia , empyema .
• patients with performance status that doesn't expected to increase by 1