title: Management of pneumothorax after percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of simple aspiration of air from the pleural space to prevent increased pneumothorax and to avoid chest tube placement in cases of pneumothorax following CT-guided lung biopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thirty-four consecutive percutaneous needle lung biopsies using real-time CT fluoroscopy guidance formed the basis of our study. All patients that demonstrated moderate or severe pneumothorax on postbiopsy chest CT images underwent percutaneous manual aspiration regardless of symptoms while on the CT scanner table. Correlation between the incidence of pneumothorax after biopsy and many factors (i.e., gender, age, number of pleural passes, presence of emphysema, lesion size, and lesion depth) were determined, and management of each case of biopsy-induced pneumothorax was reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postbiopsy pneumothorax occurred in 46 of 134 procedures (34.3%). Twenty of the 46 patients were treated by manual aspiration, while 26 patients were simply observed. In 43 of the 46 pneumothoraces (93.5%), the pneumothorax resolved completely on follow-up chest radiographs without requiring tube placement. Only three patients (2.2% of the entire series; 6.5% of those who had pneumothorax develop) required chest tube placement. The risk of pneumothorax significantly increased with lesion size and depth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of our nonprospective, nonrandomized study suggest that percutaneous manual aspiration of biopsy-induced pneumothorax performed immediately after biopsy may prevent progressive pneumothorax and subsequent chest tube placement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. yamagami@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamagami
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shigeharu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Takeharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Tsunehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D015505:Chest Tubes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013396:Suction; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome