sis, most likely because of the systemic absorption of small-size talc particles [2] . In a multicentre, open-label, prospective cohort study of 558 patients with MPE who underwent thoracoscopy and talc poudrage with 4 g of calibrated French large-particle talc, no patients developed ARDS, although oxygenation deteriorated in the first few days after talc pleurodesis [5] . Other agents that hav...

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that talc and doxycycline might be acting through different pathways in creating pleurodesis. We hypothesized that combining doxycycline and talc in half the usual doses would be synergistic in inducing pleurodesis. METHODS Thirty-two rabbits were equally allocated into four groups: group 1, half-dose combination (5 mg/kg of doxycycline and 200 mg/kg of talc s...

The safety of talc pleurodesis is under dispute following reports of talc-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death. We investigated the safety of large-particle talc for thoracoscopic pleurodesis to prevent recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). 418 patients with recurrent PSP were enrolled between 2002 and 2008 in nine centres in Europe and South Africa. The ...

Treatment of symptomatic carcinomatous pleural effusions is primarily directed at local palliation with a wide variety of sclerosing agents, of which talc is considered to be the most successful. The mechanism whereby talc achieves this effect is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate whether talc stimulates pleural mesothelial cells (PMC) to release C-X-C and/or C-C chemokines...

Chest wall tumour following iodized talc pleurodesis. A man of 37 had an iodized talc pleurodesis carried out for recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax. There was no history of industrial exposure to asbestos. Two years latei he presented with pain in the right chest and radiographs at that time showed some localized pleural thickening at the site of the thoracoscopy cannulation for introduction o...

a r t i c l e i n f o Over the past 2 years, the synthetic process of talc particles has evolved considerably, leading to an inexpensive, convenient, and rapid process that is compatible with industrial requirements. In addition to facilitate the synthetic talc preparation, the evolution of the synthesis process has led to an improved crystallographic arrangement of the talc particles in both t...

Although reports on pleurodesis date back to the beginning of the 20th century, the search for the ideal sclerosing agent is ongoing. Several agents have been studied and used, but talc continues to be the most popular. However, potentially harmful systemic side effects have been associated with talc pleurodesis. In this article we discuss the likely mechanisms of pleural inflammation and pleur...

In this study, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were synthesized using the wet chemical reduction method on the external surface layer of talc mineral as a solid support. Silver nitrate and sodium borohydride were used as the silver precursor and reducing agent in talc. The talc was suspended in aqueous AgNO(3) solution. After the absorption of Ag(+) on the surface, the ions were reduced with NaBH...

A recent article in CHEST (June 2010) by Gonzalez et al 1 on the complications of talc pleurodesis is important because it may be the largest report on the use of Sclerosol talc (Bryan Corporation; Woburn, Massachusetts), the only proprietary talc sanctioned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The article would have been enhanced if the authors had shared their 1to 6-month success rat...

The re cently rec og nized Bridesville talc-car bon ate de posit, in the Green wood – Bridesville area of south ern BC, is the sed i men tary-hosted va ri ety. It has a lower grade than most tra di tional high-grade car bon ate-hosted talc de pos its, such as Henderson, Conley and East de pos its lo cated in On tario (Simandl, 1985b) and those in Montana, United States. How ever, a par al lel m...