Open lung biopsy still has important roles for the marking of diagnosis of diffuse infiltrative lung disease even though transbronchial bronchoscopic lung biopsy and percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy gain popularity nowadays. This is clinical
retrospective review of the 56 patients with diffuse in filtrative lung disease undergoing open lung biopsy by minithoracotomy from 1984 to Dec. 1992 in the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery of Catholic University Medical College.
27
men
and 29 women, aged 17 to 73 year (mean 49 year), were eurolled & divided into 2 groups; Group A consisted of patients with immunocompromised state (n=19), Group B patients with non-immunocompromised state (n=38). Pathologic diagnosis was made in
54
cases (96.4%) of these two groups and as follows:infectious; 12 patients (21.4%), Neoplastic; 10 patients (17.9%),granulomatous; 4 patients (7.1%), interstitial pneumonia; 12 patients (21.4%), Pulmonary fibrosis; 8 patients (14.3%), others; 3
patients
(5.4%), nonspecific; 5 patients (8.9%), and undetermined; 2 patients (3.6%). Therapeutic plans were changed in 39 patients (69.6%) after taking of tissue diagnosis by open lung biopsy. Group B has higher incidence of infectious diseases and
change
of
therapeutic plan than the Group A. The postoperative complications developed in 8 cases (14.3%), and there is no difference of incidence betweenn the 2 groups. 4 patients belongs to group A. died of respiratory distress syndrom (2) and sepsis (2)
which
were not related with open lung biopsy procedure. In conclusion, open lung biopsy is a reliable method to obtain a diagnosis in diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and can be performed safely, even in acutely ill, immunosuppressed patients. (Korean J
Thoracic
Cardiovas Surg 1995;28:53-8)
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