2017 Volume 39 Issue 5 Pages 412-417
Background. There have been many reports concerning the utility of the Endobronchial Watanabe Spigot (EWS). Cases. Case 1: A 63-year-old man was diagnosed with right lung cancer, malignant pleural effusion, and right pneumothorax. Conservative treatment, including chest tube drainage, failed to resolve his condition. We then attempted EWS followed by pleurodesis. The pulmonary air leaks persisted and we performed pleurodesis repeatedly, after which the air leaks disappeared. The chest tube was removed and we initiated systemic chemotherapy. Case 2: A 64-year-old man was diagnosed with right lung cancer and pulmonary aspergillosis. Systemic chemotherapy was initiated; however, left pneumothorax was detected by chest radiograph. Conservative treatment, including chest tube drainage, failed to resolve his condition. We then attempted pleurodesis with EWS and the pulmonary air leaks remained. We repeated pleurodesis, after which the air leaks disappeared. The chest tube was removed and we re-initiated systemic chemotherapy. Conclusions. EWS can be an effective treatment for advanced lung cancer with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.
