Percutaneous Lung Tumor Biopsy Under CBCT Guidance with PET-CT Fusion Imaging: Preliminary Experience

Purpose The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of percutaneous lung tumor biopsy under cone beam-computed tomography (CBCT) with PET-CT imaging fusion. Materials and Methods Eleven patients (four women and seven men) underwent C-arm CBCT lung biopsy with PET-CT fusion imaging. A preprocedural PET-CT scan was manually fused with procedural CBCT based on anatomical landmarks; using real-time fluoroscopy, the coregistered PET-CT and CBCT images were overlaid to guide the needle trajectory. Technical success, accuracy, sensibility and specificity were evaluated. Mean total procedure time and time required for image elaboration were recorded. Results Technical success, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 100%. The mean procedure time was 38 min. The average time of PET-CT/CBCT image fusion elaboration was 3.53 min for planning and 3.42 min for needle positioning check. Conclusion CBCT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy with PET-CT fusion imaging is a feasible and effective procedure, with the potential to further improve diagnostic yield by targeting the most metabolically active portion of a lesion, whether it is morphologically altered or normal.