Use Of Continuous Fine Tube Pleural Drainage Method To Treat Tuberculous Pleurisy In Comparison With Steroids

ObjectiveTuberculous pleurisy is one of the most common pleural disease usually develops soon after infection. Tuberculous pleurisy can result in clinical symptoms, pleural fibrosis and pleural thickening. Compared to thoracentesis and puncture the traditional methods of treating tuberculous pleurisy, continuous drainage method was used and compare with the steroids. Few reports were about thoracentesis to treat tuberculous pleurisy but the purpose of our study is to compare the continuous pleural drainage method with or without steroids.MethodRetrospective study of 45 cases with pleural effusion was treated from May 2000 to July 2006 in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University by pleural drainage method in addition to antituberculosis chemotherapy. The 28 Cases were cured by continuous drainage method and 17 cases were treated by drainage plus steroids. All the patients were treated by antituberculosis chemotherapy (ATC).ResultFrom the experiment, we find that the patients with the tuberculous pleurisy getting treatments with the drainage method with steroids have no beneficial effect on the patients' outcomes, in compared to the patients treated by drainage method without steroids. Continuous drainage method was an effective way to treat tuberculous pleurisy. In hospital, the duration between drainage group (12.68±7.20 days) and in drainage plus steroids (12.68±3.67 days) is no difference (P=0.767). Drainage per day in drainage group is (302.00±268.80 ml) more than drainage plus steroids group (172.35±149.95 ml) but the difference in statistics was not significant (P=0.069) here. Days of drainage in drainage group (6.5±3.2 days) and in drainage plus steroids (6.59±2.35 days) have no difference (P=0.922). But compared with traditional puncture method, the amount of fluid drainage per day was increased and the number of days in hospital was significantly reduced. The incidences of pleural sticky were 15/28 in drainage group and in 8/17 in drainage plus steroids (x~2=0.180, P=0.672).ConclusionThis study showed antituberculosis chemotherapy is the basic method for treating tuberculous pleurisy. Continuous pleural drainage is useful in treating tuberculous pleurisy. We consider that steroids are not beneficial for the tuberculous pleurisy. Both methods of antituberculosis chemotherapy and fine tube continuous pleural fluid drainage are necessary to treat the patients with tuberculous pleurisy.