• Luce Cantin, Carl Chartrand-Lefebvre, Luigi Lepanto, David Gianfelice, Antoine Rabbat, Benoit Aubin, Pierre Perreault, Renee Dery, and Michel Lafortune.
• Radiology Department, University of Montreal Medical Center, Hospital Saint-Luc, Montreal, Canada.
• Can. Respir. J. 2005 Jan 1;12(1):29-33.

BackgroundChest tube drainage under radiological guidance has been used with increasing frequency as a treatment option for pleural effusions and pneumothoraxes.ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and usefulness of pleural drainage under radiological guidance for pleural effusion and pneumothorax in a tertiary care university teaching hospital.MethodsA retrospective study of cases of chest tube placement under radiological guidance over a 12-month period in a university hospital.ResultsFifty-one percutaneous pigtail catheter drainage cases were reviewed (30 patients). Forty-six (90%) chest tubes were inserted as a first-line treatment. The overall success rate of radiological drainage was 88%. Specific success rates were 92%, 85% and 91% for loculated pleural effusion, pneumothorax and empyema, respectively. The complications were few and minor.ConclusionsPigtail catheter insertion under radiological guidance is a useful procedure for the treatment of sterile pleural effusion, empyema and pneumothorax. This technique can be used as a first-line procedure in the majority of cases.

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