PERCUTANEOUS needle biopsy of the lung, first reported in 1883 when bacteria were taken from pneumonia patients by aspiration biopsy,1 was later applied to solid lung tumors and favorable results have been reported sporadically since,2-4 although the method was generally avoided out of fear of complications. In 1940, Tripoli and Holland5 suggested using the Vim-Silverman needle in biopsying lung tumors, but it was not until 1954 that this technique was used in studying a small series of three patients.6 Since then, interest in this diagnostic procedure has risen and the reports have been encouraging.7-13 This study describes the results of percutaneous lung biopsy in 62 patients with various pulmonary lesions.
Materials and Methods
All patients in the study were hospitalized either at the University of Arkansas Medical Center or the associated Little Rock Veterans Administration Hospital. The study covers patients with a variety of pulmonary lesions, including solitary lung masses
Adamson JS, Bates JH. Percutaneous Needle Biopsy of the Lung. Arch Intern Med. 1967;119(2):164-169. doi:10.1001/archinte.1967.00290200088006