Percutaneous needle aspiration and biopsy of localized pulmonlary lesions

ABSTRACT

Over a period of recent 12 months, 41 patients who had localized pulmonary lesions, but were not diagnosedpathologically through bronchoscopy, transbronchial biopsy, sputum examination and cervical lymph node biopsy,underwent percutaneous needle aspiration and biopsy with a diagnostic accuracy of 83% concerning malignancy vs.benignity and 78% considering the specific cell types as well. Six patients developed small asymptomaticpneumothorax and the other three develped small amount of hemoptysis; One of them required treatement. There were21 malignancies and 14 benign lesions. Three cases were misinterpreted and five were inconclusive on cytology,maybe due to inadequate material. No material was aspirated in one case due to hardness of the mass, which, later,confirmed chondroarcoma on surgery. The method, problems and complications are discussed. Nowadays, thepercutaneous needle aspiration and biopsy appears to be the procedure of choice in pulmonary coin lesionsespecially when they are smaller, more peripheral, and whenever meastatic neoplasm in suspected.