Parenchymal blood patching in percutaneous computed tomography-guided lung biopsy: A retrospective analysis of...

CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy is a widely used diagnostic tool for pulmonary lesions, but it carries a significant risk of pneumothorax. Various techniques have been explored to minimize this complication, including the use of autologous intraparenchymal blood patching. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of parenchymal blood patching in reducing pneumothorax rates in percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsies.

This retrospective study included all patients who underwent percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsy at a tertiary care hospital in Northeast India, from January 2023 to January 2025. Patients were categorized into two groups: those who did not receive a blood patch and those who received a blood patch.

A total of 121 patients who underwent CT-guided lung biopsy were included in the study. Among the 39 patients who did not receive a parenchymal blood patch, pneumothorax occurred in 12 cases (30.7%), of which 7 required chest tube drainage and 5 underwent aspiration. In contrast, among the 82 patients who received a parenchymal blood patch, pneumothorax developed in 7 cases (8.5%). Of these, 5 patients required chest tube drainage, while 2 had minimal, non-progressive pneumothorax that required no intervention. Hospitalization was needed in 7 patients in the non-blood patch group and in 5 patients in the blood patch group. A chi-square test showed a statistically significant reduction in pneumothorax incidence in the blood patch group (P = 0.04). However, no statistically significant difference was found in hospitalization rates between the two groups (P = 0.32). Parenchymal blood patching is an effective technique in CT-guided lung biopsies, significantly reducing pneumothorax rates.