Does pigtail catheters relieve pneumothorax?: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis

Pigtail catheter drainage has been usually applied for the treatment of pleural effusion and pneumothorax. Our aim was to investigate the application and efficacy of pigtail catheters for pneumothorax.

We carried out a meta-analysis of retro- or pro-spective studies addressing the effect of pigtail catheters for pneumothorax. We presented success rates of pigtail catheter drainage as primary outcomes, and considered the duration of drainage, and complication rates as secondary outcomes. Pooled data were available using the fixed or random effects model. Heterogeneity, sensitivity, and subgroup analyses were performed.

The meta-analysis was based on 16 articles with a total of 1067 patients. Our analyses showed that pooled success rates were 0.77 (0.71-0.82), )furthermore, duration of drainage was 5.61 (3.99-7.23), and complication rates 0.18 (0.09-0.27). Subgroup results according to causes of pneumothorax and patient characteristics were robust and all consistent with overall outcomes.

These suggested that pigtail catheter insertion within radiological guidance may provide a safe and effective way for the treatment of pneumothorax. More large-scale and prospective studies were required to determine these findings.