Comparative Study Of Pleurodesis Using Iodopovidone (Betadine) and Bleomycin In Management Of Malignant Pleural Effusion

Abstract

Recurrent pleural effusion in patients with advanced cancer is a common problem that causes significant morbidity and can negatively affect patient's quality of life for their remaining months. The necessity for repeated aspiration to relieve dyspnea is both physically and psychologically traumatic to the patient and burden on the physician. Pleurodesis is the optimal therapy for malignant pleural effusions, but the optimal method of pleurodesis and the optimal agent used remain debatable. The optimal agent for pleurodesis should be highly effective, free of significant adverse effects, inexpensive and readily available for the clinician. Thirty patients with malignant pleural effusion were included in this study to compare the efficacy and possible complications of iodopovidone and bleomycin pleurodesis as sclerosing agents that can be used in pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion. Iodopovidone was used in many studies before this study with satisfactory success rate in all studies. In this study there were 9 males and 21 females. Their age ranged from 19 to 75 years with a mean of 51.4±13.8 years. 11 patient of the 30 patients were diagnosed by cytological examination of the pleural fluid another 17 patients were diagnosed by closed pleural biopsy and there are 2 patients who were diagnosed by thoracoscopic pleural biopsy