Biopince Full Core Biopsy Device for Percutaneous Lung Biopsy: A Retrospective Analysis of 184 Procedures Analyzing Complication Rates and Procedure Success

Background: Unlike fine needle aspiration, core needle biopsies allow the collection of intact tissue for pathological and molecular evaluation. In outpatient clinical practice, full core needle lung biopsy may be underused because of concerns that it might be too dangerous. We describe our experience using a full core device for percutaneous lung biopsy in a large cohort of patients. Research Question: Is percutaneous full core needle lung biopsy effective and safe in the outpatient setting?

Study Design and Methods: The analyzed population comprised patients with lung masses >1.1 cm who underwent percutaneous lung biopsy with a full core device. Analyzed data included core mass dimensions, distance from pleural edge to mass, lobe location, type, outcomes, and complications. Biopsy success was defined as adequate tissue acquisition for pathological evaluation that yielded a diagnosis. Biopsy procedures with incomplete data were excluded from this analysis.

Results: We analyzed data from 184 lung biopsies performed on 182 patients (mean age, 70±11.7 years). Most biopsies were parenchymal (54.9%). The overall diagnostic success rate was 98.4%. No complications were reported for 77.2% of biopsies. Minor complications occurred during 39 biopsies (21.2%) and were primarily pneumothorax (16.8%). Major complications occurred during 4 biopsies (2.1%): 3 patients with pneumothorax required emergency department (ED) management and 1 patient went to the ED for severe pain. All complications resolved within 24 hours without hospitalization or transfusion. Crosstabulation analyses showed no significant differences between the lung lobe locations in terms of rates of disposition and complications, and between the lesion types in terms of rates of disposition and complications.

Interpretation: Percutaneous lung biopsy performed using a full core biopsy device demonstrated a high rate of diagnostic success and a low risk of clinically significant procedural complications in an outpatient setting.