Pulmonary Abscess as a Complication of Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy

J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol. 2016 Jan;23(1):63-6. doi: 10.1097/LBR.0000000000000182.

Abstract

We present the case of a 49-year-old man who developed pulmonary abscess as a complication of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy. He had been receiving prednisone therapy, but otherwise had no specific risk factors for lung abscess. Cryobiopsy is a novel technique for obtaining peripheral lung parenchymal tissue for the evaluation of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases. Cryobiopsy is being increasingly proposed as an alternative to surgical lung biopsy or conventional bronchoscopic transbronchial forceps biopsy, but the safety profile of the procedure has not been fully appreciated. Pulmonary abscess has been rarely reported as a complication of other bronchoscopic procedures such as endobronchial ultrasound-guided needle biopsy, however, to our knowledge this is the first reported case of pulmonary abscess complicating peripheral lung cryobiopsy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Biopsy / adverse effects
  • Biopsy / methods
  • Bronchoscopy / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Levofloxacin / therapeutic use
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung Abscess / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung Abscess / drug therapy
  • Lung Abscess / etiology*
  • Lung Diseases / pathology*
  • Male
  • Metronidazole / therapeutic use
  • Middle Aged
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Metronidazole
  • Levofloxacin