What is a lung biopsy? We examine the procedure, risks and contraindications with Daniel Szwarc, radiation consultant at the Institut Curie in Paris.
Why do you need a lung biopsy?
“A breast biopsy is a sample taken to diagnose an abnormality in the breast, which could be a tumor, inflammation or infection,” explains radiologist Daniel Szwarc. The purpose of the sample is therefore to carry out the diagnostic process. Usually, he stated: “The radiologist is the one who performs the chest biopsy.
What is a lung biopsy?
Right or left lung biopsy on a CT scan
“Lung biopsies are usually performed on a scanner,” the radiologist explained. “This is the first and preferred way to diagnose lung abnormalities.” It allows for cytology, analysis and analysis of cells and their morphology. In fact, microbiological biopsies can produce additional important information about the condition of the tissue. We do what is called immunohistochemistry (IHC). These machines can obtain genetic maps of tumors and markers of tumor cells. This information can allow for more accurate treatment with chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
That’s why almost all samples of the breast are collected by microbiopsy in the scanner. However, “sometimes it can be done according to ultrasound (cytoscopy) for chest wall biopsies, and this is also the case for the thyroid gland,” said Daniel Szwarc.
The blood test is performed with a needle in the chest using the coaxial technique, i.e. the first needle is inserted into the pain where we have to take the test. Many models have been taken in order to get as many products as possible from this series. “This is the advantage of the biopsy compared to the fiberoptic endoscopic examination (or echoendoscopy), which can be performed by a pulmonologist and involves an ultrasound examination (using an ultrasound scanner) via the bronchi (bronchial fiberoptic endoscopic examination (bronchial mouth) to check for tumors,” says the radiologist.
Procedures for taking lung sections under CT guidance:
The surgery is performed under local anesthesia
The lung microbiopsy is performed while the patient lies on the scanning table. “It’s done under local anesthesia to stimulate the skin and pleura, two areas of the chest that can be painful,” explains Daniel Szwarc. The first needle is placed over the wound (tracked in a scanner) and a sample is taken from the needle.
Lung biopsy, a test done from the back, ribs or breastbone
Depending on the location of the wound, the electrician said, “we can go to the back, near the vertebrae, between the ribs or even to the front, near the breastbone.”
How long does a lung biopsy take?
“This process takes between fifteen and twenty minutes,” the specialist advised. Lung biopsy: is it painful?
“In general, a lung biopsy does not cause pain during or after the procedure,” says Daniel Szwarc. Likewise, the patient can breathe normally throughout the procedure and without any respiratory distress.
What are the risks and complications of a lung biopsy?
This is a procedure that must be performed by a specialist team; a pulmonologist or oncologist must always be present during this examination. Experts actually warn that “there is a big risk in this process”.
The main and most common complication of the microbiopsy procedure is pneumothorax; abnormal air in the pleural space, causing pleural infection due to the needle being inserted into the lung, which consists only of air. For this reason, patients may develop pneumothorax. For this reason, lung diagnosis can only be made in a hospital or hospital with chest diseases specialist nurses and resuscitators who care for the patient. For this reason, lung biopsy is not possible in municipal offices;
Another problem, the risk, is hemoptysis. Since there is a small opening in the lungs, this can cause blood to be coughed up in the subglottic airways. way. Therefore, a short hospital stay is required after a lung biopsy.
Lung biopsy: Requires a short hospital stay
Therefore, after a lung biopsy, the patient was monitored for a few hours or even stayed in the hospital overnight. It all depends on the model of the hospital and the patient’s health condition. After the chest X-ray, everything was normal and the patient was sent home.
Contraindications for lung biopsy:
People who cannot have a lung biopsy are those with respiratory failure and usually have only one lung. Lung sectioning is usually contraindicated in patients with severe bleeding who are at risk of bleeding.
Microbiopsy will remove a portion of the nodule for analysis, not the nodule itself. On the other hand, we can use the same method in the treatment of lung injuries, especially in patients who cannot work. This procedure involves thermal ablation of lung lesions, metastases, or small primary lesions. We also use needles, but the equipment is adapted to destroy bacteria by cold or heat.
How long does it take to get results from a lung biopsy?
Patients do not have immediate access to the benefits. The sample is sent to the pathology lab and the results are given to the doctor. As a rule, within a week, and often within fifteen days. The biopsy results are communicated to the patient during the consultation with the doctor.