title: Percutaneous transthoracic needle aspiration of the lung. Diagnosing Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis.
abstract: Percutaneous transthoracic needle aspiration was performed on 228 occasions to obtain lung specimens from 202 patients with suspected Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis. In 121 patients the diagnosis was established by identifying P carinii organisms in lung aspirates. Six patients whose aspirates did not contain P carinii were found to have the organism at autopsy. Findings from toluidine blue O and Gomori methenamine silver nitrate stains were equally satisfactory for detecting P carinii, but the percentage of specific diagnosis was higher when specimens were stained with both. Pneumothorax that required a thoracotomy tube occurred in 39 patients. Other infectious agents, either bacteria or fungi, were found in only four patients. Percutaneous pulmonary needle aspiration--when performed under fluoroscopic guidance--is a rapid and effective method for the diagnosis of P carinii pneumonitis.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D011010:Pneumocystis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D013194:Staining and Labeling