title: Use and abuse of lung biopsy.
abstract: The lung biopsy is widely recognized as a valuable tool for the diagnosis and management of diverse pulmonary disorders. The transbronchial lung biopsy, open lung biopsy, and video assisted thoracoscopic surgery biopsy are the principal tools that have been developed for obtaining lung tissue for histopathological examination. Whereas these various types of lung biopsies are highly sensitive and specific tests available for diagnosis, they may be fraught with potential problems. This review hopes to inform the reader of the indications and limitations of the lung biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. agal@emory.edu
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D001706:Biopsy / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000379:methods; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery / Q000379:methods