title: Fine-needle biopsy of chest lesions.
abstract: The results are presented of transthoracic, mainly fine-needle biopsies in 500 patients. The procedure was carried out under biplane fluoroscopic control. The overall accuracy was 89% in establishing malignancy for lung lesions (93% for lesions with a diameter greater than 20 mm and 71% for lesions less than 20 mm diameter). Biopsies were done on pleural lesions and mediastinal lesions with an accuracy of 76% and 83%, respectively. The complications were few: a pleural tube was needed in only 2% of the patients and one patient died. Inadequate material was attained from small peripheral lesions (diameter less than 20 mm) in 24% of the patients, so efforts should be made to improve the method in this respect.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*