The First Placement of an Indwelling Pleural Catheter for Symptomatic Malignant Pleural Effusion in Japan: A Case Report

Abstract

A male in his early sixties complaining of dyspnea underwent chest computed tomography (CT), which revealed a tumor at the right lower lobe with swollen mediastinal lymph nodes. Biopsy by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration confirmed adenocarcinoma. Despite chemoradiotherapy, his symptoms worsened, and a chest CT scan performed 3 weeks after the start of treatment showed a right-sided pleural effusion. An indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) was placed under local anesthesia to relieve his symptoms. Cytologic assessment of the pleural fluid further confirmed adenocarcinoma. After three rounds of intrapleural cisplatin, the drainage fluid decreased, and IPC was removed. Although IPC is a global standard option for managing malignant pleural effusion, it has yet to be approved in Japan. We report this first case report of IPC placement in Japan.