The Importance of Computed Tomography Guided Transthorasic Aspiration Biopsy/Cell Block Method in Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Lesions: Cytopathologic Analysis in 354 Cases

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluated the effectiveness of computed tomography(CT) guided transthorasic fine needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of lung mass lesions. Material and Method: In this study, we are presenting 354 CT guided TTFNAB materials. The 348 of aspirations were performed from lung directly and 6 of them were performed from masses with mediastinal location. After the lesion was localized by CT, aspiration biopsy was performed by thoracic surgeon with 20-22 gauge Chiba needle by using 20 ml.Results: Among the 220 patients who underwent TTFNAB (354 aspiration biopsy), 163(46.04%) were diagnosed as tumor, 74(20.90%) as suspicious lesion, 71(20.05) as benign lesion and 46(12.99%) as aspirate nondiagnostic. 140(39.54%) aspirata cell blocks were applied to 134 cases. Immunohistochemical and histochemical studies were performed in these cases and type differentiation could be made in tumor.Conclusion: TTFNAB-CB in expert hands and experienced pathologists is fairly accurate for lung masses and can be regarded as an acceptable procedure for early diagnose and treatment planning purposes in most lung lesions.

Keywords

• lung; computed tomography