Application of rapid on‑site evaluation in computed tomography‑guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy of pulmonary nodules of ≤2.0 cm in diameter

Histopathological findings are the gold standard for diagnosing lung nodules, and Invasive diagnostic procedures such as percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) are often inevitable for a confirmative diagnosis. However, the traditional biopsy method is inefficient for the diagnosis of small pulmonary nodules (diameter ≤2.0 cm). The present study aimed to investigate the application of rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) in CT-guided PTNB of pulmonary nodules (≤2.0 cm in diameter). Data from patients undergoing PTNB in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical College between June 2018 and June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 250 patients were included and divided into the ROSE (n=177) and the non-ROSE groups (n=73). The comparison of these two groups indicated significantly higher specimen adequacy [93.22% (165/177) vs. 71.23% (52/73)] and diagnostic accuracy [90.40% (160/177) vs. 68.49% (50/73)], as well as a significantly lower rate of secondary biopsies [5.08% (9/177) vs. 28.77% (21/73)], in the ROSE group. The coincidence rate between the diagnosis with ROSE and the final pathological results was 96.73%, indicating high consistency (κ=0.925). The results indicated that the application of ROSE in PTNB of pulmonary nodules with a diameter of ≤2.0 cm can ensure sufficient material sampling, improve the diagnostic accuracy and reduce the secondary biopsy rate, without increasing complications. ROSE can ensure high consistency with the results obtained from the pathological evaluation.