Abstract
Rationale and Objectives. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of needle size on the diagnostic yield and complication rate of lung nodule biopsy. Materials and Methods. A total of 209 patients are included in a retrospective study. All patients underwent a needle lung biopsy under computer-tomography-guided guidance. Multiple different needle gauges are used in this study. Results. We found no correlation between the gauge of the needle and the incidence of complications or diagnostic yield associated with lung nodule biopsy. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the number of needle passes and the gauge of the needle (). Conclusion. Using a larger gauge needle does not correlate with an increase in complication rate. However, there is a statically significant decrease in the number of needle passes using a larger gauge needle. While the diagnostic yield comparing small gauge needle and large gauge needle was not statistically different, this lack of difference in yield could be related to the difference in number of passes. The use of larger needle is likely to decrease number of passes, thereby resulting in decreased procedure times.
Highlights
The lung and the bronchus constitute a site with the second highest incidence rate of invasive cancer in males and females; cancer involving the lung and bronchus is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA [1]
Other procedural factors such as increasing the number of needle passes or the use of larger needle sizes are not associated with an increase in the rate of pneumothorax or chest tube placement [3, 16, 17]
The sensitivity of lung biopsy in this study was 90.4%, which is comparable to other studies [3,4,5, 11]
Summary
The lung and the bronchus constitute a site with the second highest incidence rate of invasive cancer in males and females; cancer involving the lung and bronchus is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA [1]. Percutaneous CTguided needle lung biopsy has a high diagnostic accuracy and is a well-established procedure for obtaining a cytological evaluation of pulmonary nodules [2, 3]. A short depth and a needle path that is near perpendicular to the pleura have been associated with reduced incidence of pneumothorax [15] Other procedural factors such as increasing the number of needle passes or the use of larger needle sizes are not associated with an increase in the rate of pneumothorax or chest tube placement [3, 16, 17]. When analyzing diagnostic yield and complication rate of CTguided lung biopsies, studies have reported data using coaxial cutting needle systems or fine-needle aspiration. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of needle size on the cytological yield and the complication rate
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