Malignant Pleural Effusion Treated by Tetracycline Sclerotherapy: A Comparison of Single vs Repeated Instillation

Fifty patients with malignant pleural effusion were randomized to receive one or two doses of tetracycline sclerotherapy. We found that a single sclerotherapy treatment with tetracycline at a dose of 20 mg/kg was as effective as two sclerotherapy treatments and provided symptomatic relief in 46 of the 50 patients.