Early experience with videothoracoscopic hydrodissection pleurectomy in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion

Parietal pleurectomy is our preferred procedure for management of malignant pleural effusion. However, the morbidity of a major thoracotomy has precluded all but highly selected patients from the conventional (open) procedure. Recently, we have been able to perform parietal pleurectomy by means of a video-assisted, thoracoscopic technique. We have retrospectively analyzed the results of this procedure performed on 11 patients between March 1993 and February 1995. These patients ranged in age from 40 to 87 years of age, with a mean age of 61.5 years. Primary tumors were non-small cell lung cancer (5), breast cancer (4), mesothelioma (1), and unknown (1). There was one operative mortality (9.1%). All were relieved of symptoms of pleural effusion. Median survival was 128 days. Early experience indicates we are accomplishing an operation equivalent to that formerly performed by "open" technique. If continued results are similar to our initial experience, we will be able to offer this superior palliation of malignant pleural effusion to a wider range of patients.