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The Bovine Lung in Biomedical Research: Visually Guided Bronchoscopy, Intrabronchial Inoculation and In Vivo Sampling Techniques
Published on: July 3, 2014
Open lung biopsy: a safe, reliable and accurate method for diagnosis in diffuse lung disease
S S Shah1, V Tsang, P Goldstraw
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Royal Brompton National Heart and Lung Hospital, London, UK.
Insights
Open lung biopsy is a safe and effective diagnostic tool for diffuse lung disease, yielding accurate results with low risks. This procedure offers a high diagnostic yield, even in immunocompromised patients.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Pathology
Background:
- Establishing a definitive diagnosis for diffuse lung diseases is crucial for effective treatment.
- Open lung biopsy is a common procedure for obtaining lung tissue for histopathological examination.
- Assessing the safety and efficacy of open lung biopsy is essential for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic yield of open lung biopsy.
- To assess the morbidity and mortality associated with open lung biopsy.
- To determine the safety and accuracy of open lung biopsy in a large patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 432 patients undergoing open lung biopsy over a 10-year period.
- Analysis of patient demographics, including age and immunocompromised status.
- Assessment of diagnostic outcomes, complications, and mortality rates.
Main Results:
- Open lung biopsy achieved a high diagnostic yield of 94.9% overall.
- In immunocompromised patients, the diagnostic yield was 83.3%.
- Complications occurred in 5.1% of patients, with low attributable mortality (0.23%).
Conclusions:
- Open lung biopsy is an accurate and safe procedure for diagnosing diffuse lung diseases.
- The method provides a high diagnostic yield with minimal risk to patients.
- It is a valuable tool for establishing diagnoses in complex pulmonary conditions.
Abstract:
The ideal method for obtaining lung tissue for diagnosis should provide high diagnostic yield with low morbidity and mortality. We reviewed all 432 patients (mean age 55 years) who underwent an open lung biopsy at this hospital over a 10-year period. Twenty-four patients (5.5%) were immunocompromised. One hundred and twenty-five patients were on steroid therapy at the time of operation. Open lung biopsy provided a firm diagnosis in 410 cases overall (94.9%) and in 20 out of 24 patients in the immunocompromised group (83.3%). The commonest diagnosis was cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (173 patients). Twenty-two patients (5.1%) suffered complications following the procedure: wound infection 11 patients, pneumothorax 9 patients and haemothorax 1 patient. Thirteen patients (3.0%) died following open lung biopsy, but in only 1 patient was the death attributable to the procedure itself. We conclude that open lung biopsy is an accurate and safe method for establishing a diagnosis in diffuse lung disease with a high yield and minimal risk.
