LETTER
Controversy over Sclerotherapy for Malignant Pleural Effusions
Mumtaz A. Siddiqui, MD
15 July 1994 | Volume 121 Issue 2 | Pages 150-151
TO THE EDITOR:
Walker-Renard and colleagues [1] did not consider the potential use of autologous blood for pleurodesis. It has been used for various pleural diseases, including recurrent and chronic spontaneous pneumothorax [2], massive hydrothorax [3], and persistent pulmonary air leak [4].
Sedlarik and colleagues [5] described the use of electrically activated autologous blood for pleurodesis in a 48-year-old patient with malignant pleural effusions. The patient required pleurodesis of 60 mL, 50 mL, and 50 mL of electrically activated autologous blood at 10-day intervals with complete response during the 11 months the patient survived. This technique does not require a chest drain and is not associated with significant procedural or postprocedural pain. This cheap and effective method has no theoretical possibility for transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus.
1. Walker-Renard PB, Vaughan LM, Sahn SA. Chemical pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusions. Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120:56-64.
2. Robinson CL. Autologous blood for pleurodesis in recurrent and chronic spontaneous pneumothorax. Can J Surg. 1987; 30:428-9.
3. Catizone L, Zuchelli A, Zucchelli P. Hydrothorax in a PD patient: successful treatment with intrapleural autologous blood instillation. Adv Perit Dial. 1991; 7:86-90.
4. Dumire R, Crabbe MM, Greg Mappin F, Fontenelle LJ. Autologous blood patch pleurodesis for persistent pulmonary air leak. Chest. 1992; 101:64-6.
5. Sedlarik KM, Kirsten D, Durschmied H, Straub B. Pleurodese mit elektrisch aktiviertem autologen blut bei rezidivierenden Pleuraergussen—Vorlaufigfe Mitteilung. Z Arztl Fortbild. 1991; 85:943-4.
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