title: Chest tube drainage under radiological guidance for pleural effusion and pneumothorax in a tertiary care university teaching hospital: Review of 51 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chest tube drainage under radiological guidance has been used with increasing frequency as a treatment option for pleural effusions and pneumothoraxes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the safety and usefulness of pleural drainage under radiological guidance for pleural effusion and pneumothorax in a tertiary care university teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of cases of chest tube placement under radiological guidance over a 12-month period in a university hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-one percutaneous pigtail catheter drainage cases were reviewed (30 patients). Forty-six (90%) chest tubes were inserted as a first-line treatment. The overall success rate of radiological drainage was 88%. Specific success rates were 92%, 85% and 91% for loculated pleural effusion, pneumothorax and empyema, respectively. The complications were few and minor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pigtail catheter insertion under radiological guidance is a useful procedure for the treatment of sterile pleural effusion, empyema and pneumothorax. This technique can be used as a first-line procedure in the majority of cases.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, University of Montreal Medical Center, Hospital Saint-Luc, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Luce
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cantin
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chartrand-Lefebvre
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lepanto
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gianfelice
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabbat
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aubin
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perreault
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dery
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lafortune
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015505:Chest Tubes; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D015642:Radiology, Interventional; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome