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Alternative widely available, inexpensive agents for pleurodesis
Oner Dikensoy1, Richard W Light
1Department of Pulmonary Diseases, School of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Turkey. dikensoy@yahoo.com
Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine
|June 2, 2005
Summary
Oral tetracyclines offer a safe and effective alternative for pleurodesis when standard agents are unavailable. This review explores various accessible agents for inducing pleurodesis.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Medical Agents
Background:
- Pleurodesis is a key treatment for malignant pleural effusion, recurrent benign pleural effusion, and pneumothorax.
- Commonly used agents like talc, bleomycin, and parenteral tetracyclines have limitations including availability, cost, and side effect concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review alternative, widely available agents for pleurodesis.
- To inform clinicians about options when standard agents are not feasible.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on pleurodesis agents.
- Examination of efficacy and safety data for alternative substances.
Main Results:
- Recent studies indicate oral tetracycline/doxycycline is as effective and safe as parenteral doxycycline for pleurodesis in animal models.
- Various agents including oral tetracyclines, quinacrine, silver nitrate, iodopovidone, and facial talc have demonstrated potential for pleurodesis.
Conclusions:
- Oral tetracycline derivatives present a viable alternative to parenteral forms.
- Quinacrine, silver nitrate, iodopovidone, and specific talc preparations are potential options for pleurodesis, especially when preferred agents are inaccessible.