Contrast-enhanced ultrasound guided pleural biopsy improves diagnostic confidence for pleural based lesions: a 3-year prospective study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy and safety of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) guided biopsy in the diagnosis of radiologically determined pleural based lesions. METHOD: A prospective study was conducted on patients with radiologically determined pleural based lesions. Patients who met the inclusion criteria received pleural biopsy guided by CEUS to obtain specimens, followed by histomathological and microbiological examinations. After treatment and follow-up, surgical thoracoscopy was performed on cases with undefinite diagnosis. RESULT: A total of 460 patients were finally included. CEUS showed internal necrosis in 72.17% cases and obvious peripheral vessels in 55.43% cases, both of which were significantly higher than the conventional ultrasound imaged (p < 0.05). The diagnostic accuracy through CEUS guided biopsy sampling was 98.91% (455/460). The microbiological diagnostic yield achieved 71.88% (225/313) in infectious lesions. In 330 cases combined pleural effusion, CEUS guided biopsy increased the diagnostic yield from 60.30% (199 /330) to 98.36% (325 /330) in all cases (p < 0.05), from 15.56% (14/90) to 94.44% (85/90) in malignant lesions (p < 0.01) and from 77.08% (185/240) to 100% (240/240) in infectious lesions (p < 0.05). No serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: CEUS guided biopsy provides a minimally invasive, effective and safe diagnostic biopsy method for pleural lesions. Clinical Trials Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000029749 (ChiCTR, www.chictr.org.cn).