Cerebral Air Embolism: A Case of a Rare Transthoracic Needle Biopsy Complication

Transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB) is a fundamental procedure in the diagnosis of a wide spectrum of thoracic diseases replacing more invasive surgical procedures. The procedure may be performed with computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound imaging guidance, with CT being the more commonly utilized. Al...

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Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 2; p. e35203
Main Authors Santos, André, Almeida, Catarina, Porto, Lenea M, Fernandes, Pedro D, Silva, João P
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cureus Inc 20.02.2023
Cureus
Subjects
Biopsy
Bubbles
Case reports
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Embolisms
Emergency Medicine
Emphysema
Hemorrhage
Hemothorax
Medical imaging
Medical screening
Neurology
Patients
Pneumothorax
Pulmonology
Stroke
Veins & arteries
transthoracic needle biopsy
cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
cerebral air emboli
vascular air embolism
lung biopsy
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Summary:Transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB) is a fundamental procedure in the diagnosis of a wide spectrum of thoracic diseases replacing more invasive surgical procedures. The procedure may be performed with computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound imaging guidance, with CT being the more commonly utilized. Although less invasive than surgery, there is still a complication risk associated with this procedure. These can be local such as pneumothorax, parenchymal hemorrhage, tumor seeding, and hemoptysis, or systemic such as air embolism. The authors report a case of cerebral circulation air embolism as a complication of TNB in a 54-year-old male with suspected lung tumor followed by a brief review of the current literature.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.35203