[Transthoracic punctures in pulmonary foci].

In the period from August 1981 to April 1987, 169 percutaneous needle biopsies were performed on 149 patients in the Leyenburg Hospital in The Hague, after bronchoscopy had failed to provide a diagnosis. We studied the diagnostic yield and the occurrence of complications. A diagnosis of malignancy was made in 77 out of 98 patients with a final diagnosis of malignancy by other methods than needle biopsy. Sensitivity, specificity and the predictive value of a positive and a negative test were 78%, 100%, 100% and 67% respectively. The risk of complications was 7% (12/169), 5 patients required drainage because of pneumothorax. The low morbidity and the high diagnostic yield make percutaneous needle biopsy a valuable and safe diagnostic procedure.