Abstract
The artificial induction of aseptic pleuritis by the injection of talc into the pleural space has been reported by a number of different workers. 1 This procedure has been recommended for the purpose of producing adhesions which will prevent recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax from collapsing the lung, or may allow a selective collapse, with only an affected portion of the lung collapsed. It has also been advised as a preliminary to operations on the lung, such as drainage of abscesses, cysts or cavities, or before partial or complete amputation of a lung, to diminish the extent and severity of subsequent infection. 2 In view of the frequency of tuberculous involvement of the pleura, it seemed desirable to study the effect of such talc pleuritis on intrapleural tuberculosis before endorsing its use in such conditions.
Three rabbits were each given 2 g of talc (U.S.P., Merck), suspended in 5 cc of normal saline solution, injected into the right pleural cavity. Four months later these rabbits, together with 3 other previously untreated animals were each inoculated, in the right pleural cavity, with 0.001 mg of a virulent culture of bovine tubercle bacilli. One month after this infection, X-ray examination showed extensive densities throughout both lungs in the 3 animals which had received the talc, with but little change detectable among the 3 controls. At autopsy, 2 months after infection, the talc-treated rabbits showed extensive nodular caseous tuberculous lesions in both lungs, scattered small caseous nodules in both kidneys, caseous mediastinal lymph nodes and extensive pleural adhesions in the right side. The control animals showed much less extensive lesions, limited mainly to the intercostal and mediastinal lymph nodes, with little or no pulmonary or renal involvement, and no pleural adhesions.
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