• J P Ko, J O Shepard, E A Drucker, S L Aquino, A Sharma, B Sabloff, E Halpern, and T C McLoud.
• Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. jane.ko@med.nyu.edu
• Radiology. 2001 Feb 1;218(2):491-6.

PurposeTo study factors that may influence pneumothorax and chest tube placement rate, especially needle dwell time and pleural puncture angle.Materials And MethodsIn 159 patients, 160 coaxial computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsies were performed. Dwell time, the time between pleural puncture and needle removal, was calculated. The smallest angle of the needle with the pleura ("needle-pleural angle") was measured. These and other variables were correlated with pneumothorax and chest tube rates.ResultsOne hundred fifty biopsies were included. There were 58 (39%) pneumothoraces (14 noted only at CT), with eight (5%) biopsies resulting in chest tube placement. Longer dwell times (mean, 29 minutes; range, 12-66 minutes) did not correlate with pneumothoraces (P =.81). Smaller needle-pleural angles (< 80 degrees) [corrected], decreased forced expiratory volume in 1 second to vital capacity ratio (<50%), lateral pleural puncture, and lesions along fissures were associated with higher [corrected] pneumothorax rates (P <.05). Emphysema along the needle path, pulmonary function tests showing ventilatory obstruction, and lesions along fissures predisposed patients to chest tube placement (P <.05). Pleural thickening and prior surgery were associated with lower pneumothorax rates (P <.05).ConclusionLonger dwell times do not correlate with pneumothorax and should not influence the decision to obtain more biopsy samples. A shallow pleural puncture angle may increase the pneumothorax rate.

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