Saline Tract Sealing Cuts Pneumothorax Risk After Lung Biopsy

A new meta-analysis shows that saline tract sealing may significantly reduce the risk of pneumothorax and the need for chest tube placement after CT-guided lung biopsy. The analysis included seven studies with 1,455 patients.

Of those, 680 received normal saline instillation after the biopsy. The results showed that these patients had a 54% lower risk of pneumothorax and a 76% lower risk of requiring a chest tube compared to standard care.

Pneumothorax, or air collecting between the lung and chest wall, can lead to lung collapse. The findings suggest this simple technique could improve procedural safety.

However, researchers caution that the study is a meta-analysis, not a prospective trial, and moderate variability was noted across the included studies.