• O Bylicki, V Zarza, A Marfisi-Dubost, L Odier, V Thomsom, M Perol, and D Arpin.
• Service de pneumologie, hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, rue de la Croix-Rousse, 69004 Lyon, France. bylicki.olivier@yahoo.fr
• Rev Med Interne. 2012 Apr 1;33(4):223-6.

IntroductionPercutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy is a useful and common procedure in the investigation of a lung nodule. The occurrence of air embolism after percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy is extremely rare.Case ReportWe report a 62-year-old woman who presented with neurological signs including restlessness, meningeal signs and focal neurologic deficits 4 hours after percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy, related to air embolism. The outcome was favorable with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.ConclusionPercutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy complicated by air embolism has been rarely reported. It usually occurs within minutes after the biopsy. The late onset of this adverse event in our patient is exceptional. Air embolism occurs more frequently after biopsy of lung infiltrates compared to nodules. Occurrence of a pneumothorax or an intraalveolar haemorrhage following a percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy may be warning manifestations and justify a close monitoring.Copyright © 2012 Société nationale Française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

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