title: Multiple pleural biopsy with the Abrams needle.
abstract: Multiple pleural biopsies (up to 10) were taken with the Abrams needle through a single aspiration site in 55 patients with pleural effusions. A definite positive or suggestive pleural biopsy diagnosis was made in 33 patients (60%). In 32 of the 33 patients the pathological abnormality was confined to only a proportion of the biopsies. Pleural biopsies were positive or suggestive in 26 out of 36 patients (72%) eventually shown to have tumour and seven out of eight patients (88%) with tuberculosis. Small pneumothoraces occurred in four patients and surgical emphysema in two.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010994:Pleura / Q000473:pathology*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000166:cytology; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000473:pathology