©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Respirol. Jul 28, 2015; 5(2): 135-139
Published online Jul 28, 2015. doi: 10.5320/wjr.v5.i2.135
Published online Jul 28, 2015. doi: 10.5320/wjr.v5.i2.135
Management of recurrent malignant pleural effusions with a tunneled indwelling pleural catheter
Marieke De Heer, Robin Cornelissen, Henk C Hoogsteden, Leon M van den Toorn, Department of Pulmonary Disease and Tuberculosis, Erasmus Medical Center, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Author contributions: De Heer M wrote the article; Cornelissen R, Hoogsteden HC and van den Toorn LM all contributed to reviewing the article before submission.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None of the authors have any conflicts-of-interest related to writing this review.
Correspondence to: Marieke De Heer, MD, PhD, Department of Pulmonary Disease and Tuberculosis, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. i.m.deheer@erasmusmc.nl
Telephone: +31-10-7034870 Fax: +31-10-7034871
Received: October 2, 2014
Peer-review started: October 3, 2014
First decision: November 4, 2014
Revised: January 27, 2015
Accepted: March 18, 2015
Article in press: March 20, 2015
Published online: July 28, 2015
Processing time: 305 Days and 18.8 Hours
Peer-review started: October 3, 2014
First decision: November 4, 2014
Revised: January 27, 2015
Accepted: March 18, 2015
Article in press: March 20, 2015
Published online: July 28, 2015
Processing time: 305 Days and 18.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Indwelling pleural catheters appear to be as efficient and cost-effective as talc pleurodesis in the treatment of malignant pleural effusions with a low complications rate. A great advantage is that terminally ill patients can be treated at home in the last stage of their lives.