Department of Thoracic Surgery AZ-VUB Jette, Brussels, Belgium. guy.verfaille@az.vub.ac.be
Abstract
Symptomatic malignant pleural effusions represent a common problem in metastatic cancers and are associated with a significant morbidity. Pleurodesis still remains the primary therapy of choice. In a few cases, however, pleurodesis is unsuccessful because of a limited lung expansion and pleuroperitoneal shunts have been used. We describe two cases where an implantable PORT-A-CATH system is used for regular drainage of the pleural effusion. The main advantage of this technique is the fact that the procedure of drainage can be performed by a nurse in the home setting.