Best Timing of Combined Treatment with Urokinase and Selective Pipe Drainage for Encapsulated Pleural Effusion

Objective To investigate the best timing of combined treatment with urokinase and selective pipe drainage for encapsulated pleural effusion.Methods Eighty patients with encapsulated pleural effusion were randomly divided into two groups,with 40 patients in each group.In group A,urokinase(200 000 U)was injected through the drainage tube after each drainage and open drainage was performed after tube sealing for 24 hours.The procedure was repeated until pleural fluid disappeared.In group B,urokinase(200 000 U)was intrapleurally administered after pipe drainage and open drainage was performed after tube sealing for 24 hours until pleural fluid disappeared.Curative effects were evaluated after 2 weeks.Results Compared with group B,the drainage volume,encapsu-lation extinction time,hospital stay and incidence of pleural thickening significantly decreased in group A(P0.05).Furthermore,the total effective rate in group A was obviously higher than that in group B(97.5% vs 80.0%,P0.05).No significant side effects were found in both groups.Conclusion Urokinase injection after fractionation drainage is effective and should be used in patients with encapsulated pleural effusion.