Six years' experience with perthoracic core needle biopsy in pulmonary lesions.

Six years' experience of percutaneous core needle biopsy using the Hausser needle in 502 patients, aged 20-89 years, is reported. A biopsy was carried out when sputum and bronchoscopic methods had failed to establish a definitive histological diagnosis. Over 60% of the lesions were peripheral and about 40% were 2-4 cm in diameter. A correct diagnosis was made by this means in 312 of the 339 patients shown eventually to have a malignant lesion (92%) and in 130 of 146 patients with a benign lesion (89%). A definitive diagnosis was never established in 17 patients. Complications arose in 15% of cases. Pneumothorax occurred in 43 patients (7%), of whom 12 required a chest drain. Further complications included a small haemoptysis (less than 30 ml) in 27 patients (5%), haemothorax necessitating a chest drain in three patients, and an intrapulmonary haematoma in five patients. There were no fatal or permanent complications. Percutaneous core needle biopsy is a valuable procedure with a high diagnostic accuracy in these patients and a low rate of complications.

[Diagnosis of sarcoidosis by bronchial biopsy and transbronchial pulmonary biopsy]. / Le diagnostic de la sarcoïdose par bronchobiopsie et biopsie pulmonaire transbronchique.

The presence of non-caseating epitheloid cell granulomas in biopsy material is still one of the most important factors in establishing the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Since Carlens introduced mediastinoscopy as a diagnostic procedure in these cases the use of liver biopsy or bronchoscopic biopsy has decreased because of the better results obtained by mediastinoscopy. In 148 of 163 persons with sarcoidosis the diagnosis could be verified by the finding of epitheloid cell granuloma without central necrosis in biopsies taken from the lungs and/or bronchial wall. In 15 patients the diagnosis could not be confirmed by bronchological methods, but the presence of epitheloid cell granulomas was established by other biopsy procedures. The conclusions drawn from the observations are that the combination of bronchial and transbronchial biopsies during bronchoscopy with rigid instruments is a valuable technique for establishing the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and that bronchological methods could replace mediastinoscopy in most cases.

Palliative therapy of tumor-induced pleural effusions with 90Yttrium-silicate.

In 20 patients with rapidly recurring malignant pleural effusion, 90Yttrium-silicate was intrapleurally instilled after the puncture. In all patients this treatment resulted in marked reduction, or even interruption, of exudate formation. Eleven patients died with an average survival of 166 days. Nine patients are still alive and have been followed up for a mean of 140 days without the pleural effusion recurring. Side effects were not observed, either subjectively or in relation to hematological and other laboratory findings.

[Mass radiography. The "pros and cons" of a classic method of preventive medicine (author's transl)]. / Röntgenreihenuntersuchungen. Das "Für" und "Wider" einer klassischen Methode der Präventivmedizin.

The relation of expense to benefit of mass radiography (RRU) can no longer be referred to the tuberculosis discovery rate. Far more frequently other thoracic diseases are detected, e.g. tumors, cardiovascular diseases, pneumoconiosis, sarcoidosis, etc. The prerequisite and therefore the immediate objective is the limitation to the defined and detectable group of risks so as to increase the detection rate. In combination with other prophylactic investigations the benefit of RRU can still be increased -- it provides a valuable insight into the epidemiology of different social diseases.