COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY-GUIDED BIOPSY OF PULMONARY LESIONS: DIAGNOSTIC YIELD AND COMPLICATION RATE

Aim: The purpose of this study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography-guided transthoracic biopsy (TTB), and to determine the type and incidence of complications. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 124 CT-guided TTB of the pulmonary lesions at the Department of Radiology at the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center. All patients were followed for 6-12 months after the biopsy to verify the accuracy of pathohistological diagnosis and were divided into four groups: true and false-positive and true and false-negative groups. The sensitivity, specifi city, diagnostic accuracy, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Results: Out of the total number of biopsies, 71.8% of the procedures were performed on men and 28.2% on women. The largest group of patients (44.4%) were between the age of 66 and 75. Pneumothorax was reported in 27 procedures (21,8%), and pulmonary hemorrhage occurred in 9 biopsies (7.1%). No patient had any symptoms of complications, and no case required chest tube placement. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specifi city, positive and negative predictive values were 97.6%, 97.4%, 100%, 100%, 75%, respectively. Conclusion: CT-transthoracic needle biopsy is a gold standard for peripheral and paracentric lung lesions diagnostics. This study shows an acceptable rate of complications a the null rate of chest tube placement or severe complications. Also, we presented the diagnostic signifi cance of this method in the two years at the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center. As with any diagnostic procedures, further technological and technical development is vital