Transthoracic imaging-guided needle biopsy: 5 years' experience in Indonesia

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Radiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB) is a standard diagnostic tool for thoracic conditions like nodules and consolidation.
• Imaging guidance, including computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US), is commonly employed for TNB.
• This study evaluates five years of TNB experience at a specialized respiratory hospital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the outcomes of imaging-guided TNB procedures performed over a five-year period.
• To determine the disease proportion and positivity rate of TNB.
• To assess the safety and accuracy of TNB in a real-world clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 1,591 TNB procedures (CT- or US-guided) from 2020-2024.
• Exclusion of repeated data entries to ensure data integrity.
• Analysis of pathology results and procedure-related complications, focusing on disease prevalence and diagnostic yield.

Main Results:

• Computed tomography (CT) was the predominant guidance modality (89.9%).
• Adenocarcinoma was the most common pathology (37.7%), with lung cancer being the most frequent diagnosis.
• The procedure demonstrated high accuracy (96.3%) with a low complication rate (1.6%) and no reported mortality within 24 hours.

Conclusions:

• Transthoracic needle biopsy is a highly accurate diagnostic procedure for thoracic diseases.
• TNB is a safe intervention with a low incidence of complications.
• The findings support the continued use of TNB as a primary diagnostic tool in respiratory medicine.