Pneumothorax as Complication of CT Guided Lung Biopsy: Frequency, Severity and Assessment of Risk Factors

Background: CT-guided lung biopsy is routinely performed minimally invasive procedure. Imaging findings in the lung can have a broad differential diagnosis; therefore, it is indicated for definitive determination of pulmonary nodules or masses. Post-biopsy complications are common with most of them manageable in daycare. As pneumothorax is the most common complication, frequency and severity of pneumothorax with assessment of risk factors and follow-up for resolution is necessary. Methods: A prospective evaluation of 123 biopsies with automated coaxial biopsy of 18 gauge was done. Post-biopsy pneumothorax was evaluated for its incidence and resolution. The studied risk factors were; patient age, sex, lesion location, lesion size, shortest pleural lesion depth, traversed lung parenchymal distance, presence of emphysema, fissure penetration, needle thoracic wall angle, and lesion characteristics. Results: Reported immediate post-procedural pneumothorax was 22% with 19% of mild, 4% of moderate and 2.4% of severe cases. 51.9% of cases showed resolution within 24 hours. The intervention was required in only 4.8% of biopsy cases. A significant p - value of pneumothorax with the nodule depth increased traversed lung parenchymal distance, acute needle angle, fissure puncture, and presence of emphysema was seen. Emphysema was an independent variable in pneumothorax in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Pneumothorax is an unamenable consequence of CT-guided lung biopsy and a cautious approach should be kept in view of the variables that are associated with it to reduce its incidence and severity in patients.