PDF herunterladen
Semin intervent Radiol 2025; 42(01): 114-118
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1806739
Mortality & Morbidity

Cerebral and Coronary Air Embolism during Lung Biopsy

Sandeep Sharma
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Jacob Byers
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Reyhaneh S. Rahimi
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Charles E. Ray
2   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
,
Bashar Nahab
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Ali Kord
1   Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
› Institutsangaben
› Weitere Informationen
Auch verfügbar auf
    Lizenzen und Reprints

Percutaneous lung biopsy plays a crucial role in the sampling and diagnosing of lung lesions, offering high accuracy.[1] Percutaneous lung biopsy is associated with several complications—most commonly pneumothorax, lung parenchymal hemorrhage, and hemoptysis.[1] [2] [3] Rare complications include tumor seeding along the biopsy track and air embolism.[2] [4] Systemic air embolism after lung biopsy is rare and reported to be as low as 0.08%,[1] [2] but often only symptomatic cases are reported. The rate can approach 4% when including the asymptomatic cases found incidentally on postprocedural imaging.[2] Despite its rarity, systemic air embolism after lung biopsy poses devastating outcomes due to the potential for emboli to enter cerebral or coronary circulation, leading to fatality.[2] [5] [6] This article describes a case of coronary and cerebral air embolism during an image-guided pulmonary nodule biopsy. A detailed review of imaging findings and emergent treatment interventions is provided.



Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
07. Mai 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

  • References

  • 1 Lee JH, Yoon SH, Hong H, Rho JY, Goo JM. Incidence, risk factors, and prognostic indicators of symptomatic air embolism after percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy: a systematic review and pooled analysis. Eur Radiol 2021; 31 (04) 2022-2033
    CrossrefPubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 2 Pietersen PI, Kristjansdottir B, Laursen C, M Jørgensen G, Graumann O. Systemic air embolism following computed-tomography-guided transthoracic needle biopsy of lung lesion - a systematic search of case reports and case series. Acta Radiol Open 2022;11(6):20584601221096680
    PubMed
  • 3 Silva M, Gaio-Lima C, Camacho Ó, Ribeiro J. Cerebral air embolism following transthoracic lung biopsy successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen. Cureus 2022; 14 (12) e32933
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 4 Tomiyama N, Yasuhara Y, Nakajima Y. et al. CT-guided needle biopsy of lung lesions: a survey of severe complication based on 9783 biopsies in Japan. Eur J Radiol 2006; 59 (01) 60-64
    CrossrefPubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 5 Malik N, Claus PL, Illman JE. et al. Air embolism: diagnosis and management. Future Cardiol 2017; 13 (04) 365-378
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 6 Galvis JM, Nunley DR, Zheyi T, Dinglasan LAV. Left ventricle and systemic air embolism after percutaneous lung biopsy. Respir Med Case Rep 2017; 22: 206-208
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 7 Lanfranco J, Romero Legro I, Freire AX, Nearing K, Ratnakant S. Pulmonary air embolism: an infrequent complication in the radiology suite. Am J Case Rep 2017; 18: 80-84
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 8 Ramaswamy R, Narsinh KH, Tuan A, Kinney TB. Systemic air embolism following percutaneous lung biopsy. Semin Intervent Radiol 2014; 31 (04) 375-377
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 9 Liu SH, Fu Q, Yu HL. et al. A retrospective analysis of the risk factors associated with systemic air embolism following percutaneous lung biopsy. Exp Ther Med 2020; 19 (01) 347-352
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 10 Young M, Shapiro R. Percutaneous Lung Lesion Biopsy. StatPearls; 2023
    Suche in Google Scholar
  • 11 Lattin Jr G, O'Brien Sr W, McCrary B, Kearney P, Gover D. Massive systemic air embolism treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy following CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy of a pulmonary nodule. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2006; 17 (08) 1355-1358
    CrossrefPubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 12 Glodny B, Schönherr E, Freund MC. et al. Measures to prevent air embolism in transthoracic biopsy of the lung. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2017; 208 (05) W184-W191
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 13 Blanc P, Boussuges A, Henriette K, Sainty JM, Deleflie M. Iatrogenic cerebral air embolism: importance of an early hyperbaric oxygenation. Intensive Care Med 2002; 28 (05) 559-563
    CrossrefPubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 14 Scruggs JE, Joffe A, Wood KE. Paradoxical air embolism successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen. J Intensive Care Med 2008; 23 (03) 204-209
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 15 Torres Martínez FJ, Kuffler DP. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment to eliminate a large venous air embolism: a case study. Undersea Hyperb Med 2011; 38 (04) 297-304
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 16 Kahle AC, Cooper JS. Hyperbaric Physiological and Pharmacological Effects of Gases. StatPearls; 2023
    Suche in Google Scholar
  • 17 Kok HK, Leong S, Salati U, Torreggiani WC, Govender P. Left atrial and systemic air embolism after lung biopsy: importance of treatment positioning. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2013; 24 (10) 1587-1588
    PubMedSuche in Google Scholar
  • 18 Jang H, Rho JY, Suh YJ, Jeong YJ. Asymptomatic systemic air embolism after CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy. Clin Imaging 2019; 53: 49-57
    CrossrefPubMedSuche in Google Scholar