For those who’re seeking palliative methods of treatment for their mesothelioma, which is the treatment of individual symptoms instead of treating the disease as a whole, there’s several different surgical procedures which are employed.   These methods include: chest tube drainage and pleurodesis, thoracoscopy and pleurodesis, pleuroperitoneal shunt, and pleurectomy.  Chest tube drainage and pleurodesis is the most common treatment used for those seeking palliative methods, and its goal is to alleviate fluid build-up which was the cause of the patient’s problems initially.

Thoracoscopy and pleurodesis are used in order to help alleviate fluid build-up and symptoms as well.  Generally, these methods are used along with VATS using talc versus talc slurry in powdered form.  Pleuroperitoneal shunt is not generally used very often for these type of patients as it’s somewhat dangerous as it involved insertion of a cavity under the skin, and this can be dangerous for those with this method.  Pleurectomy is generally done where extensive surgery isn’t an option. This method is actually very efficient at controlling pleural effusion where the lung’s expanding is disease-restricted.