Maybe. If the CT guided biopsy of the lung is done in the morning and the chest x ray done after the procedure is fine, you will be observed for 2-4 hours. If all is fine, you will be allowed to go home. If the CT guided lung biopsy is done in the afternoon, it is safe to be admitted overnight and be discharged in the morning the following day.

There are many individuals who are found to have a mass on a chest x ray or on a CT scan. Some lung nodules are benign but some may be malignant. The identity of the mass can only be determined after a biopsy. In the old days, the only way to biopsy a mass in the lung was surgery- which is a major undertaking. Today, the Ct scan can identity the location of the mass and a biopsy can easily be performed with a needle.

Before the procedure, your own specialist or the radiology specialist will go through the procedure with you and will be happy to answer any questions which you may have about the procedure or the reason for undertaking the procedure. He/she will then ask you to sign a document (consent form) stating that you understand the nature and purpose of the procedure and that you are happy to carry on with it.

In some cases where the lesion is very small, the needle may not be able to obtain a decent sample size. In such cases, either a second attempt may be done or surgery. For those individuals with congestive heart failure, emphysema, COPD, CT needle biopsy is not recommended. Alternatives to biopsy may include continued follow-up with imaging and surgical removal of the abnormality.

Unlike surgery, the risks of CT guided biopsy are infinitely less. However, certain complications can and do occur and include the following:

In some cases where the lesion is very small, the needle may not be able to obtain a decent sample size. In such cases, either a second attempt may be done or surgery. Alternatives to biopsy may include continued follow-up with imaging and surgical removal of the abnormality.

A skin biopsy is the best diagnostic technique for many cutaneous lesions that cannot be diagnosed visually. This procedure implies the excisional removal of a small part of tissue including the epidermis (the top skin layer), the dermis, and, variably, underlying fat. This is usually done in local anesthesia, which means the patient gets an injection which will keep away the pain. After the removal of a small piece of skin, the wound is closed with a few stitches.

This procedure consists of removing a tiny piece of the lung tissue in order to examine it under the microscope. This is the single most important test in correctly diagnosing your lung disease.

In order to keep the radiation exposure to the minimum and provide complete lung coverage in a single breath hold, this procedure should only be carried out on a "Helical" CT scanner.

First you will complete a specific lung-screening questionnaire. You will be asked to undress from the waist up and be given a gown to wear. A registered CT technologist will explain the procedure and you will be asked to lie down on the CT table. You will be asked to hold your breath while the table gently moves and simultaneously the images are taken. This part of the procedure takes about 60 seconds. The examination is completely painless and non-invasive.

You may schedule a CT Lung Cancer Screening exam without a referral (prescription). Because this is a new screening procedure, please be aware that this exam is not covered by Medicare or insurance at this time. The results of your exam will be sent to your physician.

Low-Dose Screening CT is designed to supplement or replace routine Chest X-rays. It is specifically designed to screen for pulmonary nodules, and is neither designed nor intended to screen for abnormalities elsewhere in the thorax (i.e.- heart, aorta, lymph nodes, bones). The test is specifically designed to rapidly screen the lungs using the least amount of radiation exposure, to allow detection of pulmonary nodules. No intravenous or oral contrast is used.

In the majority of individuals, the procedure is done without any complications. In all cases, a chest x ray is done after the procedure and the patient is observed for a few hours. If there is no complication, the individual is discharged home.

It is a procedure to obtain a lung biopsy specimen without opening up the chest wall The biopsy is obtained through three tiny holes in the chest. It is less invasive than an open lung biopsy.

Breast biopsy using MRI is the latest technological development in the diagnosis of a breast mass. The procedure requires the use of an MRI to locate the position of the breast mass and perform a biopsy. The biopsy is done at the same time the mass is identified. The precise location of the mass by MRI offers an efficient method of obtaining a biopsy. Even masses located in different parts of the breast can easily be biopsied.

Liver biopsy is an important diagnostic procedure; it remains one of the best ways to determine liver damage, such as cirrhosis. This procedure; however, is no longer used to diagnose classic hemochromatosis. Liver biopsy is used to diagnose or document iron levels in non-classical hemochromatosis.

Although a recent mammogram may show an abnormality in your breast, only a biopsy can determine if that abnormality is cancerous or benign (noncancerous). Four out of five women will find they have a benign condition. Usually, it means tissue is removed for examination. This is the only way to determine if an abnormal tissue is cancerous or benign.

Each year more than 172,000 people in this country are diagnosed with lung cancer. Unfortunately, this year more than 160,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer will die. In most cases, lung cancer is diagnosed after it’s too late to treat. The "Sprial" CT Lung Cancer Screening scan is an early cancer detection exam. Detecting lung cancer early (when you have no symptoms), followed by treatment, can provide an 80% cure rate thereby, increasing the chance for survival dramatically.

The best hope for curing lung cancer is finding it as early as possible; the I-ELCAP research shows that annual CT screening can find 85% of lung cancers in their earliest, most curable stage. If you are at risk, a CT scan can detect tiny spots on your lungs (called 'nodules') that may indicate lung cancer in this early stage (New England Journal of Medicine 2006; 355; 1763-1771).

The most common conditions that may lead to the need for a lung transplant are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension. A common misperception is that patients with lung cancer have lung transplant. In fact, the presence of cancer in the body rules out candidacy for a transplant.

Usually CT guided drainage is infinitely safer than surgery. However, anytime pus is drained there is a chance of infection of the skin. Today, with finer needles and better localization of pus cavities, the complications of CT guided drainage are minimal.

Alternatives to CT drainage may include continued follow-up with ultrasound imaging and surgical removal of the abscess.

You've survived your lung disease treamtment and you want to return to work. You've decided to apply for a new job. Do you need to tell your potential employer about your lung disease history? Find out how to handle disclosure of your medical history.

In some male partners the testis size is normal and the FSH and LH hormones are within the normal levels. In such cases we could expect to find good sperms in the testis even though there are no sperms in semen sample. These sperms could be used for IVF.

This is a very common procedure done in the office to evaluate abnormal bleeding. It obtains tissue from the inside of the uterus (endometrium). It is very quick and you may feel a deep cramp. You may have some mild cramping and spotting for 24 hours after. It is never performed during pregnancy. We now are able to also perform endometrial ablations in the comfort of our office under local anesthesia thus avoiding the need for hospitalization and general anesthetic.

MRI provides an excellent look inside the body but several diseases can have a similar appearance (e.g. tumors and abscesses). Determining the type of cells present within a lesion by obtaining a very small sample with a small needle allows us to make a final differentiation in most cases. We strongly recommend ultrasound-guided needle biopsies when we need to know the type of cells present to obtain a final diagnosis.