Official Website of PENN Radiology

Patient Services

Patient Prep & Instruction Manual

Updated May 2006

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiology 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Scheduled Test: Lung Biopsy

When:_____________

Date:_____________

Time:_____________

Where:	You will report to the Radiology Reception Area Ground Floor Dulles Building.
Purpose:	To obtain tissue sampling for evaluation by the Pathology Department.
Preparation:	You may have clear liquids after midnight. Do not eat any food. It is very important that you let the doctor who is requesting the biopsy know if you take any blood thinners.
Procedure:	When you get to the Radiology Department the Radiologist will go over the consent form with you and answer any questions you may have. You will then change into a hospital gown and will lie on a table either on your stomach or back. Your skin will be cleaned with betadine antiseptic and will then be numbed with local anesthetic. A very thin biopsy needle will then be placed through the chest wall into the lung under CT or x-ray guidance. A small amount of material will be removed through the needle so the cells may be studied. Approximately 5% of people cough up a small amount of blood after the biopsy. This resolves itself. You will be in the x-ray procedure room approximately 30-60 minutes.
After Care:	Immediately after the biopsy is completed you will have a chest x-ray to check for pneumothorax (a small collapse of the lung). Approximately 1 out of 3 patients develop a small collapse of their lung (this is called a pneumothorax), which needs no treatment and resolves on its own. 1 in 20 patients develop a large collapse of the lung, which requires hospitalization, and placement of a chest tube into the space surrounding the lung. If there is a small or no pneumothorax, you are free to go to breakfast and will be given a time 3 to 4 hours later to return to have a second chest x-ray to make sure a pneumothorax hasn’t formed or, if you had a small one, hasn’t gotten any larger. Please call (215) 662-3142 to speak with a technologist if you have any question.

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Last Updated:12/20/06 ALK