Ultrasonically guided aspiration needle biopsy in disease of the chest

Ultrasonically guided aspiration needle biopsy has been used in our department as a diagnostic procedure in chest disease. Twenty patients with chest disease judged to have lesions abutted to the thoracic wall were selected as candidates for this technique, which was a linear electronic array scanner provided with a specially designed guide channel. In all sixteen patients with malignant disease, this method provided biopsies that yielded malignant cells on cytologic examination. The diagnostic accuracy was excellent and no complications were encountered.