Efficacy of portable ultrasonography for early detection of pneumothorax following lung biopsy.

Background: Pneumothorax is a notable complication of lung biopsy, and its early detection is crucial. This study aimed to compare the sensitivities of handheld portable lung ultrasonography and chest radiography for identifying early pneumothorax after lung biopsy.

Methods: Both upright chest radiography and lung ultrasonography were performed 3 and 24 hours after lung biopsy. The disappearance of lung sliding and the appearance of lung points were considered evidence of pneumothorax on lung ultrasonography.

Results: Of the 86 patients in this study, 23 were diagnosed with pneumothorax within 24 hours of biopsy. No significant differences were observed in sex, age, or baseline lung function between the pneumothorax and non-pneumothorax groups. The sensitivities of lung ultrasonography and chest radiography for pneumothorax detection were 73.9% and 47.8%, respectively, at 3 hours and 91.3% and 78.3%, respectively, at 24 hours. Furthermore, at 3 hours, the area under the curve for lung ultrasonography for diagnosing pneumothorax was significantly higher than that for chest radiography (0.870 vs. 0.739, p = 0.043); however, the difference was not significant at 24 hours (p = 0.254).

Conclusion: These preliminary results show lung ultrasonography is more sensitive than chest radiography to detect early pneumothorax after lung biopsy and may be advantageous for the rapid diagnosis of pneumothorax.