Percutaneous intrathoracic aspiration biopsy.

An analysis of 617 percutaneous intrathoracic aspiration biopsies (PIAB) performed on 587 patients with pulmonary and mediastinal lesions between 1954 and 1985 are presented. The effectiveness of the procedure between 1954 and 1980 and between 1981 and 1985 with a positivity of 71.6% and 84.9%, respectively, was compared. These results are statistically significant and reflect improvement in the technique employed. A greater positivity was found where the lesion measured 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Complications for this series were 7.8%. In diffuse infiltrating lesions, the positivity is less than that obtained for the whole series, and the risk of developing a pneumothorax is greater. The false-negative cases include those in which an inadequate sample was obtained for diagnosis (13.9% of the total series) and samples containing elements of the chest wall or blood (5.2%).