Percutaneous needle biopsy of pulmonary lesions.

Percutaneous needle biopsy of lung lesions has proved useful in the diagnosis of tumors and infectious lesions of the lung. Accurate tissue diagnosis of tumors was obtained in 81 percent of attempts, and an accurate microbiologic diagnosis was obtained in 75 percent of infectious lesions. Eleven percent (23 of 213) of patients biopsied for tumor were spared diagnostic thoracotomy, and only one biopsy gave a false-positive result. There has been no mortality, and the only significant morbidity was a 12 percent incidence of pneumothorax necessitating chest tube insertion. The use of this technique in varied clinical settings has made it a valuable and often primary diagnostic tool for lung lesions.