Lung biopsy

MBS Online Search Page: Click here for details

Item	Process
Specimen	Fine needle aspiration biopsy, bronchial/transbronchial, transthoracic needle biopsy, open lung, lobectomy and pneumonectomy specimens. Specimens requiring culture should be submitted fresh, as should larger specimens requiring fixation by inflation.
Method	Fresh tissue: frozen section, microbiological examination, (bacterial, fungal and myobacterial microscopy and culture if indicated) molecular genetics. Fixed tissue: light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy (special fixative).
Application	May be indicated in the investigation of: pneumonias (infective and non-infective), allergic and granulomatous disease, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, vasculitis, pneumoconiosis and tumours.
Interpretation	Categorisation and prognosis of alveolar and interstitial pneumonias; identification of infecting organisms; typing of granulomatous disease including sarcoid; diagnosis of primary and systemic vascular disorders; typing of pneumoconiosis and identification of complications; and identification of tumour type, grade and stage.
Reference	Fraser RS et al. Diagnosis of Diseases of the Chest. Saunders 2000.