Aims and objectives
Thoracic biopsy is a frequently performed procedure and has been associated with marked patient benefits.
Computed tomography have been employed over the years for the purposes of diagnosis,
staging,
prognostic assessment and monitoring of most thoracic pathologies [1-4].
Currently,
the list of clinical indications for CT-guided thoracic biopsy includes histological diagnosis of undetermined mediastinal,
chest wall and lung lesions,
diagnosis of hilar lesions following negative bronchoscopy,
focal parenchymal infiltrates in which an infectious organism cannot be isolated,
as well as biopsy or re-biopsy of malignancy...
Methods and materials
Patient population
This retrospective study involved patients who were referred to our centre (Spectra Health Imaging and Interventional Radiology) for CT-guided thoracic biopsies from January 2010 to December 2017.
Patients who required significant sedation or anaesthesia were excluded from the study.
CT-guided Thoracic Biopsy Procedure
Patients were first taken through the process of breath holding before the procedure.
A pre-biopsy scan of the affected organ was then obtained using 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography scanner (Somatom Definition AS; Siemens,
Erlagen,
Germany),
Somatom Emotion eco (16-slice configuration,...
Results
A total of 440 patients who were referred for CT-guided thoracic biopsies within the study period were included.
The mean age of the patients was 52.2 ± 18.3 years,
with the maximum and minimum age being 83 years and 8 years respectively.
A greater percentage of the patients were males (n=264,
60.0 %),
with a female population of 40.0% (n=176).
Thoracic regions indicated for CT-guided biopsies within the period of study included mediastinal,
lung,
pleural and chest wall.
The mean lesion diameter was 8.7cm,
with...
Conclusion
This initial study has shown that thirty minutes of post-biopsy care could be sufficient for patients who present with no complications after a post-procedural scan in CT-guided thoracic biopsies,
providing a starting point for similar algorithms to be explored in a randomized control study to establish the observation.
This approach has the potential to significantly reduce medical costs and enable optimal utilization of procedural space and ancillary staff.
The algorithm proposed in this study however appears to be more appropriate for larger lesions,
and that...
Personal information
George Asafu Adjaye Frimpong.
CEO/Consultant Interventional Radiologist,
Spectra Health Imaging and Interventional Radiology,
Kumasi,
Ghana.
Lecturer,
Department of Radiology,
School of Medical Sciences,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,
Kumasi,
Ghana.
Senior Specialist,Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,
Kumasi,
Ghana
PMB University Post Office
Kumasi.
Phone: +233201169108
Email:
[email protected]/
[email protected]
References
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Birchard KR.
Transthoracic needle biopsy.
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Hong K.
Transthoracic needle aspiration: the past, present and future.
Journal of thoracic disease.
2015;7(Suppl 4):S292.
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Cham MD,
Lane ME,
Henschke CI,
Yankelevitz DF.
Lung biopsy: special techniques.
Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2008;29:335-49.
4.
Laurent F,
Latrabe V,
Vergier B,
Montaudon M,
VERNEJOUX JM,
Dubrez J.
CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy of pulmonary nodules smaller than 20 mm: results with...