Chest tube drainage under radiological guidance for pleural effusion and pneumothorax in a tertiary care university teaching hospital: Review of 51 cases.
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.
Cantin
Luce
L
Radiology Department, University of Montreal Medical Center, Hospital Saint-Luc, Montreal, Canada.
Chartrand-Lefebvre
Carl
C
Lepanto
Luigi
L
Gianfelice
David
D
Rabbat
Antoine
A
Aubin
Benoit
B
Perreault
Pierre
P
Dery
Renee
R
Lafortune
Michel
M
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