Positional precautions in needle aspiration lung biopsy.
The authors performed 308 needle aspiration biopsies of parenchymal lung masses. The patients were then placed with the puncture site down for a period of at least 1 hour or until air leakage stopped. Coughing, talking, and activity were restricted. Complications included pneumothorax, at a rate of 25.0%, and chest tube placement, at a rate of 1.6%. In a subgroup of 262 patients who required only one pleural puncture at biopsy, a pneumothorax rate of 17.9% and a chest tube placement rate of 0.4% were encountered. When compared with a similar series of 143 control patients, significant reductions in both pneumothorax rate (P = .0004) and chest tube placement rate (P = .0001) were demonstrated.
Moore
E H
EH
Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
Shepard
J A
JA
McLoud
T C
TC
Templeton
P A
PA
Kosiuk
J P
JP
D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011187:Posture