Diagnostic yield and complications of transthoracic computed tomography-guided biopsies

作者：Vagn Hansen Chris^*; Pedersen Malene Roland; Rafaelsen Soren Rafael

来源：Danish Medical Journal, 2016, 63(6): A5239.

INTRODUCTION: The widespread use of computed tomography (CT) improves detection of pulmonary lesions, which are not only detected at an increased rate but also at a smaller size. CT-guided lung biopsies are now more frequently used than fluoroscopy-guided lung biopsies. The main aim of the present paper was to investigate the outcome and complications of the biopsies.
METHODS: We retrospectively collected the results and information from 520 CT-guided thorax biopsies. All biopsies were performed with CT-guided "beam-through" technique, using a 64-slice CT scanner.
RESULTS: In 86% of the biopsies, the tissue material was found to be sufficient. In 32% of the biopsies, a complication arose, mostly pneumothorax (30%), but chest drainage was needed in only 15% of the 520 cases. Patients with more than ten cigarette pack-years had a complication risk that was twice as high at that of patients with fewer packyears. We found that the risk of pneumothorax increased the further the lesion was from the skin surface, the smaller the lesions were and when the patient was biopsied in a lateral position. We also found a higher risk of complications in females than in males.
CONCLUSIONS: CT-guided biopsy is an excellent tool for analysing pulmonary lesions. The present study clearly shows that the risk of developing a pneumothorax is significantly increased among smokers and former smokers with more than ten pack-years.

• 出版日期2016-6