Having a lung biopsy

A lung biopsy is a procedure, where we remove a small sample from your lung with a fine needle. We use CT or ultrasound guidance to find the area as accurately as possible. The sample is then examined in detail under a microscope at a laboratory.

Preparing for the procedure

In most cases, you can come into hospital, have a lung biopsy and go home on the same day.

About 1 week before the lung biopsy, you have a blood test. This is to check that your blood clotting is normal. We do the test because there is a higher risk of bleeding after a procedure if your blood is not clotting properly.

Your doctor or clinical nurse specialist explains how to arrange the blood test when they recommend a lung biopsy.

Here is more guidance about how to prepare for your lung biopsy procedure:

Giving your permission (consent)

We want to involve you in decisions about your care and treatment. If you decide to have a lung biopsy, we will ask you to sign a consent form. This says that you understand what is involved and agree to have the treatment.

You can read more about our consent process.

On the day of the procedure

On the day of the lung biopsy, please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time. This is to allow enough time to prepare.

In the interventional radiology (IR) department, you have a check-up with a nurse. They give you a hospital gown to wear. 

We put a small plastic tube (cannula) into your arm. This means that we can give you medicine called a sedative to make you sleepy during the procedure, if needed.

You can ask the IR doctor any questions that you have. We ask you to sign the consent form confirming that you agree to have the biopsy.

During the procedure

An IR doctor does the procedure using CT or ultrasound guidance. This allows them to see detailed pictures of your chest.

What happens during the procedure

1. We ask you to lie on your front or back. This depends on where we are taking the biopsy. The radiographer helps you to find the most comfortable position. You need to stay as still as possible during the biopsy.
2. We clean your skin with an antiseptic solution and cover it with sterile towels.
3. We inject a local anaesthetic medicine around the area where we are doing the biopsy. This means that you are awake for the procedure, but the area is numb and you do not feel pain.
4. The IR doctor puts a thin needle into the lung in stages. They check the position of the needle with a scan each time that it is moved.
5. When you have a scan taken, we may ask you to hold your breath. It is important that you try to take the same depth of breath each time and do not cough during the procedure.
6. The IR doctor uses a special needle to remove a small piece of lung tissue or some fluid. When there is enough tissue, they remove the needle.
7. You have a final short scan to check for an air leak and then the procedure is finished.
8. You usually have a chest X-ray 2 hours after the procedure to make sure that there are no complications.
9. We send the sample to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope.
10. We clean the wound site and put a dressing over it.

How the procedure feels

The procedure should not be painful, but there can sometimes be discomfort when we take the biopsy.

The position that you need to lie in during the biopsy might be uncomfortable for a short time.

If you have any pain during the procedure, please tell the nurse looking after you. They can give you pain medicine.