Needle biopsy of the lung in diffuse parenchymal disease: An analysis of 151 cases

Abstract

Summary Of 220 percutaneous cutting needle biopsies of pulmonary disease, 151 patients were biopsied for purposes of diagnosis of diffuse parenchymal disease. Diffuse disease was divided into generalized and lobar disease because of differences in technical management, complications, and productivity. A postbiopsy chest tube was inserted in all cases of generalized lung disease. Tissue diagnosis was established in 90 per cent of the patients with diffuse disease with a serious complication rate of 1.3 per cent and a mortality of 0.66 per cent. The present experience suggests that needle biopsy is the procedure of choice in patients with more advanced generalized lung disease and in patients with lobar diffuse disease. Open biopsy is recommended as the procedure of choice for good risk patients with generalized bilateral parenchymal disease.