[Bronchoscopic lung biopsy with fluoroscopy to study 164 localized pulmonary lesions]. / Biopsia pulmonar broncoscópica con fluoroscopia en lesiones pulmonares localizadas. Estudio de 164 casos.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of bronchoscopic lung biopsy (BLB) in the diagnosis of localized pulmonary lesions. METHODS: A prospective, descriptive study of consecutive patients with a suspected neoplastic nodule, mass, or infiltrate with nonspecific bronchoscopic findings after performing BLB with fluoroscopy. The lesions, clinical and patient characteristics, and outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-four patients with a mean (SD) age of 65 +/- 12 years and a total of 156 masses or nodules and 8 infiltrates (144 neoplasms and 20 nonneoplastic lesions) participated in the study. On average, the lesion was 4.3 +/- 2 cm in diameter and 6 +/- 2 BLBs were performed on each patient, with a rate of serious complications of less than 1%. BLB was diagnostic in 113 cases (69% of the neoplasms and 70% of the nonneoplastic). In cases diagnosed by BLB, the lesions were larger (4.6 +/- 2 cm), more samples were obtained (6 +/- 2 biopsies), nondiagnostic endoscopic alterations were found (30%), and the bronchus sign was present (22%). Moreover, bronchoscopy was better tolerated by those patients. CONCLUSIONS: BLB with fluoroscopy increased the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy for localized lesions with nonspecific findings, regardless of etiology. Larger neoplasms, the bronchus sign, good tolerance, and more tissue samples increased the number of diagnoses, with few complications.