How to Undergo a Lung Biopsy
Record your symptoms., Consult with your doctor., Consider your overall health., Follow your doctor’s pre-op eating instructions., Avoid certain medications., Ask a friend to drive you home., Learn about biopsies performed with needles., Inquire...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Record your symptoms.
If you think you may have a problem with your lungs, you should write down what symptoms you are experiencing.
Keep a journal over a period of several days or weeks so that you can show your doctor a detailed account of what you’ve been feeling lately.
This will help your doctor make an informed decision about whether or not you need a lung biopsy.
Keep track of things like difficulty breathing, localized pain, shortness of breath, fever/chills, and coughing up blood.
There are also online symptom trackers and apps for your phone that you can use to record your symptoms and show to your doctor later. -
Step 2: Consult with your doctor.
Talk to your doctor about any concerns you might have about your overall health, or your lungs specifically.
Bring your symptom records and discuss them with your doctor.Your doctor may ask you to do some preliminary tests before deciding that a biopsy is necessary.
This could include chest X-rays, CT scans, an MRI, chest ultrasound, bronchography, chest fluoroscopy, or a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. , As with any medical procedure, there are some risks involved with a biopsy, especially if you undergo a surgical biopsy with anesthesia.
Your doctor will help you decide if having a biopsy is the right decision for you.Possible risks include air leaks, blood loss, infection, or injury to the lung.
People with chronic illnesses (like diabetes) or repressed immune systems may be at a higher risk for complications. , Your doctor will probably ask you to refrain from eating or drinking in the six hours prior to the procedure.
Make sure you follow these instructions to the letter.If you are diabetic, not eating for six hours could complicate your insulin schedule.
Make sure you discuss this with your doctor ahead of time. , In general, you should be able to maintain your regular medication schedule before the procedure; however, be sure to avoid any blood thinners or insulin medications, except as expressly permitted by your doctor.Tell your doctor about all of the medications you are taking beforehand – this includes prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements, and vitamins. , After the biopsy, it’s likely that you may feel a little lightheaded or woozy, so it would be a good idea to ask a trusted friend or family member to drive you home after the procedure.
This is especially true if you have a surgical or thoracoscopic biopsy.It might be unsafe for you to drive under these circumstances, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
And some medical facilities may not allow you to leave until you have a person who has agreed to drive you. , Many lung biopsies are done by sticking a long, thin needle into the lung tissue from the skin outside.
The doctor must carefully insert the needle between the ribs and into the lung tissue, then extract a tiny portion of the tissue for analysis.This is one of the easier biopsy methods to recover from, as it is less invasive than surgical biopsies and often does not require anesthesia. , In this type of lung biopsy, an endoscope tune is inserted into the chest cavity (in close proximity to the lung) through the chest wall.
This includes a small camera that the doctor can use to direct the biopsy.
A biopsy tool may then be inserted in the endoscope in order to retrieve some lung tissue.During this process, it is also possible for the doctor to remove small nodules or tissue lesions.
This procedure is also sometimes called a video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) biopsy. , For this type of procedure, you’ll need to be given a general anesthetic.
Once you are anesthetized, the doctor will make a small incision in the chest skin and surgically remove a piece of the lung tissue.If you have an open biopsy, you will be required to stay in the hospital for a short recover period. -
Step 3: Consider your overall health.
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Step 4: Follow your doctor’s pre-op eating instructions.
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Step 5: Avoid certain medications.
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Step 6: Ask a friend to drive you home.
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Step 7: Learn about biopsies performed with needles.
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Step 8: Inquire about thoracoscopic biopsy.
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Step 9: Learn about open lung biopsies.
Detailed Guide
If you think you may have a problem with your lungs, you should write down what symptoms you are experiencing.
Keep a journal over a period of several days or weeks so that you can show your doctor a detailed account of what you’ve been feeling lately.
This will help your doctor make an informed decision about whether or not you need a lung biopsy.
Keep track of things like difficulty breathing, localized pain, shortness of breath, fever/chills, and coughing up blood.
There are also online symptom trackers and apps for your phone that you can use to record your symptoms and show to your doctor later.
Talk to your doctor about any concerns you might have about your overall health, or your lungs specifically.
Bring your symptom records and discuss them with your doctor.Your doctor may ask you to do some preliminary tests before deciding that a biopsy is necessary.
This could include chest X-rays, CT scans, an MRI, chest ultrasound, bronchography, chest fluoroscopy, or a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. , As with any medical procedure, there are some risks involved with a biopsy, especially if you undergo a surgical biopsy with anesthesia.
Your doctor will help you decide if having a biopsy is the right decision for you.Possible risks include air leaks, blood loss, infection, or injury to the lung.
People with chronic illnesses (like diabetes) or repressed immune systems may be at a higher risk for complications. , Your doctor will probably ask you to refrain from eating or drinking in the six hours prior to the procedure.
Make sure you follow these instructions to the letter.If you are diabetic, not eating for six hours could complicate your insulin schedule.
Make sure you discuss this with your doctor ahead of time. , In general, you should be able to maintain your regular medication schedule before the procedure; however, be sure to avoid any blood thinners or insulin medications, except as expressly permitted by your doctor.Tell your doctor about all of the medications you are taking beforehand – this includes prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements, and vitamins. , After the biopsy, it’s likely that you may feel a little lightheaded or woozy, so it would be a good idea to ask a trusted friend or family member to drive you home after the procedure.
This is especially true if you have a surgical or thoracoscopic biopsy.It might be unsafe for you to drive under these circumstances, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
And some medical facilities may not allow you to leave until you have a person who has agreed to drive you. , Many lung biopsies are done by sticking a long, thin needle into the lung tissue from the skin outside.
The doctor must carefully insert the needle between the ribs and into the lung tissue, then extract a tiny portion of the tissue for analysis.This is one of the easier biopsy methods to recover from, as it is less invasive than surgical biopsies and often does not require anesthesia. , In this type of lung biopsy, an endoscope tune is inserted into the chest cavity (in close proximity to the lung) through the chest wall.
This includes a small camera that the doctor can use to direct the biopsy.
A biopsy tool may then be inserted in the endoscope in order to retrieve some lung tissue.During this process, it is also possible for the doctor to remove small nodules or tissue lesions.
This procedure is also sometimes called a video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) biopsy. , For this type of procedure, you’ll need to be given a general anesthetic.
Once you are anesthetized, the doctor will make a small incision in the chest skin and surgically remove a piece of the lung tissue.If you have an open biopsy, you will be required to stay in the hospital for a short recover period.
About the Author
Nathan Ramirez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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