Palliation of malignant pleural effusion

Maligni plevralni izliv je pogost spremljevalec maligne bolezni. Pri bolnikih najpogosteje povzroča dispnejo, kašelj in bolečino v prsnem košu. Cilji paliativnega zdravljenja so: lajšanje simptomov, izboljšanje bolnikove zmogljivosti in kakovosti življenja ter znižanje števila hospitalizacij. Najučinkovitejša metoda paliativnega zdravljenja je plevrodeza s talkom, ki pa ni vedno možna zaradi nerazpenjanja pljuč ali slabega stanja zmogljivosti bolnika. Takrat uporabimo trajni plevralni kateter ali razbremenilne plevralne punkcije, še posebej, če je pričakovano preživetje bolnika kratko. Pomembno je, da paliacijo malignega plevralnega izliva načrtujemo zgodaj v poteku zdravljenja, ko je možnost za uspešno plevrodezo večja.Malignant pleural effusion is a frequent finding in a malignant disease. In patients, it commonly causes dyspnoea, cough and chest pain. The objectives of palliative treatment are: alleviation of symptoms, improvement in the patient\u27s performance and quality of life, and reduction in the number of hospitalisations. The most effective method of palliative treatment is talc pleurodesis, which is, however, not possible due to non-expansion of the lungs and poor performance status of the patient. In such cases, we use a permanent pleural catheter and pleural punctions, especially when the expected survival of the patient is short. It is important that palliation of malignant pleural effusion is planned early in the treatment course to increase the chances of a successful pleurodesis