Single plane fluoroscopic guided biopsy of thoracic lesions

Single plane fluoroscopic guided biopsy was performed successfully in 61 of 70 patients with thoracic lesions using inexpensive spinal needles. Lesions smaller than 2 cm and those located within 2 cm distance from vascular structures were not biopsied using this technique. Post-biopsy pneumothorax developed in 15 of the 46 biopsies of the intrapulmonary lesions. Five patients required a chest tube placement for symptomatic pneumothoraces. There were no fatalities. It is suggested that in a selected group of patients single plane fluoroscopic guided biopsy is a safe and fast method for diagnosis of a thoracic lesion

Unusual appearance of molar pregnancy on ultrasound

The ultrasonic appearance of hydatidiform mole has been described and is widely accepted. However, atypical sonographic patterns of molar gestation are being encountered. These include large echo-free spaces due to bleeding within molar tissue, as well as septa-previously unreported-dividing these anechoic areas. Occasionally, very large areas of haemorrhage are seen which may lead to error in diagnosis because they do not usually occur in molar pregnancy. Presented here are 15 cases of proven hydatidiform moles in which ultrasound examination revealed unusually large cystic areas. These varied in shape and measured as much as 15 cm in length. Four of these echo-free spaces demonstrated internal septation. This septation probably developed from further bleeding in an area adjacent to a pre-existing haemorrhagic space