BACKGROUND:
Percutaneous
needle aspiration biopsy(PNAB) of the
lung is a safe
procedure for
diagnosis of various
pulmonary diseases but
complications such as
pneumothorax can occasionally develop. We reviewed the
complications arising after PNAB and analysed the
risk factors of
pneumothorax.
METHOD:
We collected data by reviewing
medical records and radiographic studies of 403
patients who underwent PNAB of the
lung between 1988 and 2002 and analyzed the
risk factors of
pneumothorax.
RESULT:
The
incidence of complication was 12.9%, 48
patients with
pneumothorax and 4
patients with mild
hemoptysis. Among the 48
pneumothorax patients, 35
patients showed mild(50%) and
chest tube insertion was done and 2
patients were treated by
needle aspiration. As the results of
multivariate analysis, size and
location of lesion,
location of approach,
diagnosis of lesion showed no significant relationship, while age and
gender of
patients(p<0.05) and the depth of approach(p<0.001) were significantly related to
pneumothorax.
Smoking amount(p<0.001) as well as the
smoking history(p<0.005) were also significantly related and the examiner displaying various
incidence of
pneumothorax from 4.0% to 23.1% among individuals also was a significant independent
risk factor(p<0.05). While the average depth of approach for 13
patients treated by
chest tube insertion or
needle aspiration was 8.2+/-1.2cm, 35 patiens treated only by
oxygen supply was 6.7 1.6cm suggesting that the depth of approach was
lead to a severe
pneumothorax.
CONCLUSION:
The independent
risk factors of
pneumothorax, the most common complication after PNAB, are age and
gender of
patients, depth of approach, examiner of
procedure,
smoking history and
smoking amount.