Thorax
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Four patients with massive pleural effusions due to pancreatic pseudocysts who were initially treated conservatively with percutaneous pleural drainage are described. In two patients the pleural effusions and the pancreatic pseudocysts disappeared, but two required surgery, in one case because conservative treatment failed and in the other at a later date for a recurrent pancreatic pseudocyst.
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A prospective study was carried out to assess the value of bronchoscopic cryotherapy for palliation of inoperable bronchial carcinoma with bronchial obstruction. Symptoms, lung function, and chest radiographic and bronchoscopic findings were recorded serially before and after 81 cryotherapy sessions in 33 consecutive patients. Most patients improved in terms of overall symptoms, stridor, and haemoptysis and they had an overall improvement in dyspnoea. ⋯ There were no important complications. These results compare favourably with the results in published series of patients having laser therapy. It is concluded that bronchoscopic cryotherapy is valuable for the palliation of inoperable bronchial carcinoma.