Effect of Betadine in chemical pleurodesis in patients with recurrent malignant pleural effusion between 2013 and 2015

Introduction: 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. Methods: In this empirical before-after study, all patients suffering from recurrent pleural effusion, who were admitted in the thoracic surgery department because of malignant nature of the diseases in a period of one year, were incorporated in the study. To perform pleurodesis, chest tube was initially inserted in the duration of 24-48 hours. Thereafter, 20 ml iodopovidon, 10 ml lidocaine, 80 ml normal saline of liquids were injected into the pleural cavity by a chest tube. All the patients were examined for the pleural effusion and pleurodesis recurrence monthly for 6 months. Chi-square and Fisher exact test were used as the qualitative and independent parameters in the quantitative comparison in this study. Results: In this study, a total number of patients was 50 among whom 23 were male (46%) and 27 were female (54%).  The mean age of the patients was 53.25±12.49 years. In the six months 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). However, there was no significant relationship between the severity of pain and the success of the treatment (P=0.92). Conclusions: Compared with other sclerosant chemical substances, Iodopovidone is more cheaply available, is of high efficacy, and can be a good choice in treatment of malignant pleural effusion.