What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Case Report. Population: Lung mass / Air embolism (n=1). Intervention: CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy.

What does this research mean for the field?

CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy can cause severe systemic air embolism resulting in life-threatening complications, which may be exacerbated by delays in optimizing patient posture during emergency response. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To highlight the severe sequelae caused by air embolism during a CT-guided lung biopsy and its implications for patient care.

April 25, 2026Open Access

Clinical report of severe sequelae caused by air embolism during CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy

Key Result

A 57-year-old female developed severe systemic air embolism during a CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy, resulting in life-threatening complications including acute cerebral infarction and quadriplegia.

Key Points

To highlight the severe sequelae caused by air embolism during a CT-guided lung biopsy and its implications for patient care.
Clinical case report detailing a 57-year-old female with air embolism during biopsy.
Discussion on the impact of patient posture during emergency response on complications.
Comprehensive treatment and multidisciplinary consultation over 5 months.
Patient was resuscitated following life-threatening air embolism.
Serious complications affected patient's health significantly after treatment.
Emphasizes need for timely responses during emergencies.

Study Design

Type

Case Report (n=1)

Multicenter

Structured PICO

Population

1 57-year-old female with a soft tissue mass shadow in the posterior segment of the right lower lung lobe (3.3x2.8 cm) and cough/sputum for > half a year.

Intervention

CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy using a 17G coaxial needle and 18G biopsy needle in the prone position under local anesthesia.

Systemic air embolism is a rare, life-threatening complication of CT-guided lung biopsy that requires immediate recognition and posture correction (Trendelenburg position) to prevent severe cardiopulmonary and neurological sequelae.

Limitations

The causal link between the brief 3-second head-up positioning and the development of extensive neurological/cardiac sequelae cannot be definitively established.
Lack of direct hemodynamic data during the event.

Abstract

Computed tomography-guided percutaneous lung biopsy is highly important for the diagnosis and prognosis of peripheral space-occupying lesions in the lungs. This article focuses on a 57-year-old female who developed air embolism during percutaneous lung biopsy and discusses “a potential delay in optimizing the patient’s posture during the emergency response, which may have contributed to the progression of complications”. Although the patient was successfully resuscitated and recovered from a life-threatening condition after 5 months of multidisciplinary consultation and treatment, serious complications still had a considerable impact on the patient’s health.

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