Patient reported experiences of CT guided lung biopsy: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: CT guided lung biopsy is a commonly performed procedure to obtain tissue for a histological diagnosis in cases of suspected lung cancer. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study to obtain information directly from patients about their experiences of the biopsy procedure, thus obtaining a more accurate picture of complications compared with previously performed retrospective reviews. Patients participated in a post-procedure telephone interview and information was gathered about any procedural complications and personal experiences. We also compared the patient reported complications with those obtained from a retrospective review of hospital databases, analogous to previously performed retrospective studies. RESULTS: In our patient group, reported procedural complication rates were 10% pneumothorax rate (4% requiring a chest drain) and 10% haemoptysis. Post-procedural pain and shortness of breath showed positive correlation, with one patient experiencing prolonged pain. No statistical difference was found between the patient reported complication rates and those obtained from retrospective review of the hospital database. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates CT guided lung biopsy is a safe procedure and is generally well tolerated. Some patients may experience significant and lasting pain and therefore should be counselled about this pre-procedure.