Percutaneous Trephine Biopsy of the Lung

¹ Assistant Professor of Medicine

Needle lung biopsy performed with a trephine cutting needle attached to a high speed pneumatic drill is a new technique which can be expected to yield a high quality lung specimen in 85 percent - 90 percent of attempts. This technique is especially applicable to diffuse pulmonary disease. The most frequent complication is the development of pneumothorax (in up to 65 percent of biopsies) which if handled appropriately is not dangerous and, therefore, should not be considered to outweigh the benefits of a pathologic and often etiologic diagnosis.