• Debra A Gervais, Diane A Levis, Peter F Hahn, Raul N Uppot, Ronald S Arellano, and Peter R Mueller.
• Department of Radiology, Division of Abdominal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St, White 270, Boston, MA 02114, USA. dgervais@partners.org
• Radiology. 2008 Mar 1;246(3):956-63.

PurposeTo retrospectively determine the effectiveness of and risk for hemorrhage with intrapleural adjunctive tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administered via chest tubes placed with imaging guidance.Materials And MethodsThis HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the institutional review board of Massachusetts General Hospital, with informed consent waived. A retrospective review of 66 patients (age range, 1-95 years; mean age, 55 years; 44 male, 22 female) who received intrapleural tPA between 2000 and 2006 was performed. Overall effectiveness of tPA was defined as successful drainage without need for additional decortication or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Primary and secondary effectiveness were defined as effectiveness after one and two cycles of tPA, respectively. Imaging findings and complications were recorded. Hemorrhagic complications were noted, and the Fisher exact test was used to show whether concurrent systemic anticoagulation increased bleeding risk.ResultsFifty-seven (86%) of 66 patients underwent complete drainage with tPA without further surgical procedures. Primary effectiveness was seen in 52 (87%) of 60 patients and secondary effectiveness was seen in five (83%) of six. Loculation of fluid was the most common finding in this selected cohort. Number of fluid pockets, pleural heterogeneity, and pleural thickness were not predictors of effectiveness. There were five major pleural hemorrhages in four patients across five tPA cycles. Hemorrhages occurred only in patients receiving therapeutic anticoagulation (four of 12) and in none of the other patients (P < .001). No hemorrhages occurred in the 38 patients receiving prophylactic anticoagulation.ConclusionIntrapleural tPA is effective in improving drainage of loculated effusions not drained with catheters alone; prophylactic systemic anticoagulation does not increase bleeding risk with intrapleural tPA, but therapeutic anticoagulation is associated with a significantly increased risk of pleural hemorrhage.(c) RSNA, 2008.

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