Ultrathin Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy of the Lung with Transfissural Approach: Does It Increase the Risk of Pneumothorax?
OBJECTIVE. Transthoracic fine-needle aspiration is an accurate and safe method for diagnosis of pulmonary lesions, and pneumothorax is the most frequent complication of the procedure. Crossing a lung fissure during biopsy has been thought to increase the risk of pneumothorax, and the need to cross a fissure is considered a relative contraindication. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence and clinical significance of pneumothorax during needle aspiration biopsy performed with a transfissural approach in comparison with biopsies in which a fissure was not crossed. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Retrospective review of the medical records of patients who underwent fluoroscopically guided transthoracic biopsy of pulmonary nodules with a 25-gauge needle yielded the cases of 107 consecutively registered patients (59 men, 48 women; mean age, 62 years). In 43 of the biopsies, the major fissure was crossed, and in 64 biopsies, the control procedures, the fissure was avoided. CT scans wer
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