Emphysema and fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD) is considered a relative contraindication for CT guided lung biopsy. This is because a) it is assumed that patients with poor respiratory reserve are less well able to tolerate pneumothoraces and b) that patients with diffuse lung disease (DLD) are at increased risk of pneumothorax following biopsy. This rationale needs to be balanced against the benefits of obtaining tissue samples in patients with lung cancer and DLD, as in many instances it guides further management and treatment. At our institution, CT biopsy for suspected lung cancer is regularly performed in patients with diffuse lung disease. The aim of this audit was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this practice.
Publication information
Javed M, Sheard S, Robbie H, Semple T, Padley S, Devaraj A et al., 2017, Two year audit of CT-guided biopsy for lung cancer in emphysema and fibrotic interstitial lung disease patients, LUNG CANCER, Vol: 103, Pages: S16-S17, ISSN: 0169-5002