Objective: Our goal was to determine the sensitivity of CT-guided closed pleural needle biopsy (CPNB) for the histopathologic diagnosis of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM).
Materials and methods: Thirty patients with DMPM were studied with CT-guided CPNB. Tumor specimens were classified according to their cell types.
Results: In 25 (83.3%) patients, the diagnosis was made by CT-guided CPNB. The remaining five patients were diagnosed by thoracoscopy, thoracotomy, or excisional biopsy of the chest wall mass. Pneumothorax was observed in 9.5% of patients and local seeding of tumor in 21.7% of patients who underwent CPNB.
Conclusion: Properly performed CPNB under CT guidance may yield an increased sensitivity for the diagnosis of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma.