Efficacy of Povidone Iodine Induced Chemical Pleurodesis in Treatment of Patients with Recurrent Malignant Pleural Effusion between 2012-2014

Bakcground: Application of Talc powder, Bleomycin and Tetracycline is among conventional treatments in recurrent malignant pleural effusion caused by malignant pleurodesis. The aim of this research is to estimate the effect and safety in application of betadine as a cheap and available chemical factor in treatment of pleurodesis.
In this semi-empirical study, all patients suffering from recurrent pleural effusion enrolled the study. In order to perform pleurodesis, after chest tube insertion, solution containing iodopovidon, lidocaine, and normal saline was injected into the pleural cavity through chest tube. All the patients were examined for the pleural effusion and pleurodesis recurrence during a 6-month follow-up.
In this study, a total number of patients was 50 among whom 23 were male (46%) and 27 were female (54%). In the 6-month follow-up, 40 patients (80%) were completely recovered and the recurrence of the pleural effusion was noticed in 10 patients (20%). Comparison of the success rate of recovery in terms of the gender of the patients showed no significant relation between gender and response to the recovery process (p=0.219). Of the total of 32 patients (64%) with chest pain after pleurodesis, 23 patients had complete recovery, and the incidence of chest pain in patients with no improvement was significantly higher (p=0.018).
Iodopovidone is a cheap, highly available material and of high efficacy in comparison to other sclerosant chemical substances, that provides an appropriate option in treatment of malignant pleural effusion.