Talc pleurodesis for secondary pneumothorax in elderly patients with persistent air leak

Treatments for secondary pneumothorax of elderly patients with pulmonary emphysema are often difficult because of the poor performance status (PS) and impaired pulmonary function. Pleurodesis is often effective in cases unable to tolerate surgical procedures (1-4). Of the many sclerosing agents, talc is considered to be the most effective and least expensive and is widely used based on the British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines (1,4-8). We adopted two treatment strategies using talc for secondary pneumothorax in elderly patients with persistent air leak who were ill-suited for standard pneumothorax therapies, including any interventional treatments