Needle biopsy of endothoracic neoformations: a five-year experience

We dwell upon the importance of percutaneous biopsy in the diagnosis of endothoracic masses, comparing the results of the cutting needles to those of the fine needle aspiration biopsy. We began utilizing the Vim-Silverman needle with good results (73.7% diagnoses) and a small number of complications, only 1 of which needed treatment, but in the light of the severe and lethal complications described in the literature, we came to prefer the use of the fine needle aspiration technique, which provided good results, too, (74% diagnoses) and enlarged the diagnostic range of the percutaneous biopsy of the lung in cases of deep, or mediastinal masses. We also hold that the use of cutting needles should not be given up: in fact when a technically good smear from an aspiration biopsy does not allow a diagnosis, we usually repeat the biopsy using a cutting needle, if there is no contraindication.