• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2021

Background: Pleurodesis fails in 10%-40% of patients with recurrent malignant pleural effusions malignant pleural effusion and dyspnea. This study aimed to assess the values of pleural elastance (P_EL) after the aspiration of 500 mL of pleural fluid and their relation to the pleurodesis outcome, and to compare the pleurodesis outcome with the chemical characteristics of pleural fluid. Methods: A prospective study was conducted in Kasr El-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, during the period from March 2019 to January 2020. The study population consisted of 40 patients with malignant pleural effusion. The measurement of P_EL after the aspiration of 500 mL of fluid was done with "P_EL 0.5" (cm H₂O/L), and the characteristics of the pleural fluid were chemically and cytologically analyzed. Pleurodesis was done and the patients were evaluated one month later. The P_EL values were compared with pleurodesis outcomes. Results: After 4-week of follow-up, the success rate of pleurodesis was 65%. The P_EL 0.5 was significantly higher in failed pleurodesis than it was in successful pleurodesis. A cutoff point of P_EL 0.5 >14.5 cm H₂O/L was associated with pleurodesis failure with a sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 100%, respectively. The patients with failed pleurodesis had significantly lower pH levels in fluid than those in the successful group (p<0.001). Conclusion: P_EL measurement was a significant predictor in differentiating between failed and successful pleurodesis. The increase in acidity of the malignant pleural fluid can be used as a predictor for pleurodesis failure in patients with malignant pleural effusion.