This review will establish that the best mode of treatment for recurrent
pleural effusions is non-intubated video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) with chemical
talc pleurodesis. The nature of recurrent
pleural effusions mandates that any definitive and effective treatment of this condition should ideally provide direct visualization of the effusion, complete initial drainage, a low risk outpatient procedure, a high patient satisfaction rate, a high rate of
pleurodesis and a high diagnostic yield for tissue diagnosis. There are various methods available for treatment of this condition including
thoracostomy tube placement with bedside chemical
pleurodesis, thoracentesis, placement of an indwelling pleural
catheter, pleurectomy and VATS drainage with
talc pleurodesis. Of these treatment options VATS drainage with the use of
local anesthetic and intravenous sedation is the method that offers most of the desired outcomes, thus making it the best treatment modality.