title: Mediastinal, hilar, and pleural image-guided biopsy: current practice and techniques.
abstract: Cross-sectional imaging of the chest with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and at times, ultrasonography exquisitely delineates mediastinal, hilar, and pleural pathologies. The treatment of patients with these pathologies is often based on the results of image-guided biopsies. CT and ultrasonography have been used successfully for targeting and sampling mediastinal, hilar, and pleural masses, with high sensitivity and near-perfect specificity. These procedures are performed by interventional radiologists in an outpatient setting with local anesthesia and conscious sedation. Major complications are rare, and the minor complications seen are easily managed. Minimally invasive, image-guided biopsy often obviates the need for more invasive procedures such as thoracoscopy or mediastinoscopy.
authors.affiliation: Section of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. kahrar@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahrar
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Sanaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Javadi
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional