Percutaneous needle biopsy of the pleura

Percutaneous needle biopsy of the pleura and thoracic wall is a relatively simple, minimally invasive, and safe technique that may be performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia. Image guidance, combined with the use of core biopsy needles and immunohistochemical techniques, have lead to increased diagnostic yield and overall accuracy. Open and thoracoscopic biopsies are reserved for a minority of patients in whom pleural fluid cytology and percutaneous needle biopsy are nondiagnostic.