[Pulmonary needle biopsy in children]

Pulmonary biopsy done with a needle of circular bore, can be performed on very young children. A sample of tissue, big enough to establish a precise diagnosis in 2/3 of cases, can be obtained. The main complication is pneumothorax occuring about once in five. Hemoptysia or hemorrhage has never been observed. A proposed indication of premortem biopsy accelerated the death of a child with congenital pulmonary fibrosis. The search of a diagnosis in diffuse pulmonary diseases is the major indication for pulmonary biopsy in the child.