What is a CT guided biopsy of the lung?
You have been advised to have a needle biopsy of lung tissue to try to identify the cause of an abnormal area of lung tissue on your chest x-ray or CT scan of the chest. This test will be undertaken in the imaging department (radiology) of the hospital using a CT scan to guide the procedure. The procedure will be undertaken by a specialist called a radiologist. You will have a local anaesthetic injection at the site of the procedure to make the area numb. When the area is numb, the radiologist will pass a small needle between the ribs. This needle will pass into the lung guided by a CT scan and a small piece of tissue will be sampled. Two, or sometimes three, biopsies may be required to obtain an adequate specimen. The entire procedure will usually last no longer than half an hour. Before the procedure, your own specialist or the radiology specialist will go through the procedure with you and will be happy to answer any questions which you may have about the procedure or the reason for
