Saline needle-tract sealing for preventing complications in CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy: an exploratory study

R. Daniela Treviño-Carranza, Department of Interventional Radiology; Department of Radiology and Imaging. Zambrano Hellion Hospital TecSalud, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico;
Marcela Aldape-Perez, Department of Radiology and Imaging, Zambrano Hellion Hospital TecSalud, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico;
Miguel A. Carrillo-Martinez, Department of Interventional Radiology; Department of Radiology and Imaging. Zambrano Hellion Hospital TecSalud, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico;
Anais D. Garcia-Aguilar, Department of Interventional Radiology; Department of Radiology and Imaging. Zambrano Hellion Hospital TecSalud, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico;

Saline needle tract sealing is a technique used to reduce pleuropulmonary complications during computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous lung biopsy. This retrospective, comparative cohort study compared complication rates in patients who underwent CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy using the standard coaxial technique, with and without saline needle tract sealing. Pneumothorax and pulmonary hemorrhage were recorded as biopsy complications in patients with and without saline needle tract sealing. Thirty-three patients underwent CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy with the standard coaxial technique: 15 (45.5%) with saline sealing and 18 (54.5%) without sealing. The incidence of pneumothorax was 11.1% (2/18 patients) in the group without saline sealing and 0% in the group with saline sealing (p = 0.19). The incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage was 22.2% (4/18 patients) in the unsealed group and 0% in the needle tract saline-sealing group (p = 0.055). Saline needle tract sealing in patients undergoing CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy with the standard coaxial technique may prevent pleuropulmonary complications, such as pneumothorax and pulmonary hemorrhage, compared with patients without saline sealing. In this exploratory study of Mexican patients, sealing the needle tract with saline solution during CT-guided lung biopsy was associated with no complications. It is a simple, safe, and low-cost technique that may improve the safety of lung biopsy.

Keywords: Needle tract saline sealing. Percutaneous lung biopsy. Pneumothorax. Pulmonary hemorrhage.