Lung Disease & Respiratory Health Center

Risks

A lung biopsy is generally a safe procedure. Any risk depends on if you have a lung disease and how severe it is. If you already have severe breathing problems, your breathing may be worse for a short time after the biopsy.

Bronchoscopic and needle biopsies are usually safer than open or VATS biopsies, but the VATS and open biopsies are more likely to allow a good sample of lung to be removed. A good sample helps determine what the lung problem is and what treatment choices are. Bronchoscope or needle biopsies do not need general anesthesia, cause fewer problems, and you do not need to stay overnight in the hospital. Your doctor will discuss any risks with you.

• Lung biopsy may increase your chance of developing a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) during the biopsy. Your doctor may need to place a tube in your chest to keep your lung inflated while the biopsy site heals.
• Severe bleeding (hemorrhage) may occur.
• An infection such as pneumonia may occur, but usually such infections can be treated with antibiotics.
• Spasms of the bronchial tubes can occur, which can cause breathing difficulties right after the biopsy.
• Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) can occur.
• People with severe lung disease have a very small chance of dying from the biopsy. But this is rare. If you receive general anesthesia, there is an extremely small chance of death from complications associated with general anesthesia.

After the biopsy

After a lung biopsy, call your doctor immediately if you have:

• Severe chest pain.
• Lightheadedness.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Excessive bleeding through the bandage.
• Coughed up more than a tablespoon of blood.
• A fever.

Results

A lung biopsy removes a small piece of lung tissue which can be looked at under a microscope.

Lung biopsy results are usually available in 2 to 4 working days. It may take several weeks to get results from tissue samples that are being tested for certain infections, such as tuberculosis.

What Affects the Test

A biopsy sample that is too small for a diagnosis can affect the accuracy of the results.

A needle biopsy collects tissue from such a small area that there is a chance that a cancer may be missed.

What To Think About

• Before a final diagnosis is made, the results of a lung biopsy will be considered along with your past health, physical examination, and the results of other tests, including a chest X-ray or a computed tomography (CT) scan. A bronchoscopy may also be helpful. For more information, see the topics Chest X-Ray, CT Scan, and Bronchoscopy.
• A lung biopsy may not be done for people who have:
  • Advanced lung disease, such as emphysema.
  • Bleeding disorders.
  • Heart failure, high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), or enlargement of the right side of the heart (cor pulmonale).
• Recovery from a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) takes less time than from an open biopsy surgery.