Diagnosis of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis by CT-guided core biopsy of lung: a report of three cases.

A pathological diagnosis of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH) usually requires a surgical lung biopsy. To date, diagnosis of PLCH by core needle biopsy has not been reported. Three cases are presented of PLCH diagnosed by CT-guided core biopsy in adult female smokers found to have multiple small bilateral lung nodules. The nodules biopsied were 5 mm, 7 mm and 1 cm in size, and showed interstitial expansion by Langerhans cells and eosinophils. CT-guided core biopsy should be considered as one of the less invasive techniques by which a pathological diagnosis of PLCH can be established.