[Aspiration biopsy of thoracic lesions using the Chiba needle under CT guidance]

Percutaneous transthoracic aspiration biopsy (PTAB) is an interventional radiologic procedure for histologic confirmation or elimination of malignant nature of the lesion. The development of digital techniques (introduction of CT and US) and small gauge needles increased the interest for this method. CT scanner enables the accurate determination of the entry point of the puncture guide, precise visualisation of the needle tip and reliable analyses of complications. The type of the puncture needle is very important for establishment of the correct diagnosis. Of 163 Chiba needle punctures the cytologically representative samples were obtained in 84.7% and pathohistologically representative samples in 56%. Of complications the most common was pneumothorax found in 9.7% and alveolar hemorrhage in 9.1% cases. In this paper the method and contribution of the Chiba needles are analysed compared to the results of other authors obtained by other types of needles. Our results are satisfying with small number of complications.