OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of continuous thoracic close drainage using central venous catheter instead of repeated thoracocentesis in the treatment of tuberculous pleurisy in children. METHODS: Thirty-nine children with tuberculous pleurisy, who received continuous thoracic close drainage using central venous catheter in addition to conventional antituberculous chemotherapy, were used as the observation group and 42 children with tuberculous pleurisy who underwent repeated thoracocentesis in addition to conventional antituberculous chemotherapy served as the control group. The two groups were compared in terms of time to pleural effusion absorption, improvement in pleural thickening, length of hospital stay, and puncture-related expenses. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly faster pleural effusion absorption (8±4 d vs 12±6 d; P<0.01), significantly more improvement in pleural thickening (1.50±0.25 mm vs 3.10±0.30 mm; P<0.05), a significantly shorter length of hospital stay (11±3 d vs 18±6 d; P<0.01), and significantly lower puncture-related expenses (269±24 yuan vs 475±50 yuan; P<0.05), as well as alleviated pain. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous thoracic close drainage using central venous catheter is superior to repeated thoracocentesis in the treatment of tuberculous pleurisy in children, and it holds promise for clinical application in pediatric patients.