Open lung biopsy in diagnosing pulmonary infiltrates in immunosuppressed patients

From July, 1973, to June, 1977, 25 patients in an immunosuppressed state from underlying reticuloendothelial neoplasm or associated chemotherapy, underwent open biopsy of the lung at the University of Maryland Hospital for diagnosis of unilateral diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. Eight patients were in marked respiratory distress, 13 in moderate distress, and 4 in little or no distress at the time of open lung biopsy. There were 3 postoperative deaths (12%). The operation-related morbidity was 1 out of 25 (4%). Two of the patients who died were found to have irreversible pulmonary fibrosis secondary to bleomycin drug therapy. The subsequent treatment of all 25 patients was influenced by the biopsy findings as follows: upgrading the disease stage or establishing treatment failure in 11 patients; establishing the presence of inflammatory disease in 3 patients; establishing the diagnosis of fibrosis associated with drug treatment without recurrent disease or infection in 11 patients. The preferability of open lung biopsy as opposed to transbronchial or percutaneous techniques is discussed.