Computed Tomography Combined With Real-time Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Needle Biopsy of Peripleural Lung Nodules

Ultrasound is rarely used for lung biopsy because the ultrasound window is too narrow to capture puncture points and perform whole imaging of lesions. The present study examined the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) combined with real-time ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle biopsy for peripleural lesions in clinical practice.

In total, 59 patients with peripleural lesions who had undergone CT combined with ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy and 70 patients who had undergone conventional CT-guided biopsy at the Radiology Department of Wuxi NO.2 People's Hospital between January 2017 and June 2023 were enrolled. The operation duration, machine room occupation duration, number of CT-guided scans, radiation dose absorbed from the CT scans, and puncture-related complications were compared between the 2 groups of patients.

The operation duration (CT: 31.21 ± 7.99 min vs. CT + ultrasound: 22.20 ± 5.14 min, P < 0.001) and room occupation duration (43.17 ± 7.94 vs. 32.78 ± 5.15 min, P < 0.001) were significantly shorter and the number of CT-guided scans (3.31 ± 0.84 vs. 2.22 ± 0.42 times, P < 0.01) and the radiation dose absorbed from the CT scans were significantly lower (3.89 ± 1.07 vs. 2.56 ± 0.64 mSv, P < 0.001) in the CT combined with ultrasound group than in the conventional CT-guided puncture group. The results were significant after adjusting for age, sex, lesion thickness, and puncture depth.

CT combined with real-time ultrasound-guided biopsy may be a useful biopsy technique for peripleural lesions in general hospitals.