Purpose: The purpose of this technical report is to describe the technique of intratumoral injection of hypertonic glucose combined with low-negative pressure drainage to treat refractory pneumothorax (RP) after microwave ablation (MWA) of lung tumors.
Materials and methods: Between September 2016 and May 2018, four patients who developed RP after MWA of peripheral lung cancer were managed by a combined method, including intratumoral injection of hypertonic glucose and catheter drainage under low-negative pressure. Blood gas values were recorded and compared before the treatment and one-week posttreatment. All patients were followed up for at least one month to monitor the possible recurrence of pneumothorax by chest CT.
Results: All patients were successfully treated. One patient received the intratumoral injection of hypertonic glucose twice, while the remaining three patients received a single injection. The technical success rate was 100%. Dyspnea related to RP was significantly relieved in all patients, and PaO2 and SaO2 values were higher than those measured before treatment. No patient suffered a recurrence of pneumothorax during the follow-up.
Conclusion: The combined method of intratumoral injection of hypertonic glucose and continuous catheter drainage under low-negative pressure might be an effective method to manage RP caused by MWA.
Keywords: Hypertonic glucose; Injection; Microwave ablation; Refractory pneumothorax.