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What is a Lung Nodule Bronchoscopic Biopsy?

What is a Lung Nodule Bronchoscopic Biopsy?

December 13, 2021
Emily Cassidy, MD
Emily Cassidy, MD

Cardiothoracic Surgery

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One option is a bronchoscopic approach, which is where we go down through the mouth, into the airways. And that’s obviously going to be more easy to reach those nodules that are centrally located in the chest. Whereas the ones that are more peripheral, oftentimes those will be more easily approached from the outside by a radiologist, but it’s not that cut and dry.

 

There are other things that we consider, which is, which lobe is the nodule in? How close is it to a fissure, which is the line between the lobes? Also the integrity of the lung that’s around that nodule. You have to think if there is a lot of damaged lung surrounding a nodule, you may approach it differently to avoid those areas of damaged lung. Things like the ribs, the scapula, which are the bones that are surrounding the lung, that can have an impact as well. So it can be tricky, particularly with a very small lung nodule.

 

Key Takeaways

1. One option to biopsy a lung nodule is a bronchoscopic approach, which is goes down through the mouth, into the airways.

2. Other things to consider that may change the approach include which lobe it is in, how close it is to a fissure (the line between the lobes, and the integrity of the lung.

3. Performing a biopsy can be tricky, particularly with a very small lung nodule.