Gelfoam Slurry as an Embolization Agent of the Needle Tract to Prevent Pneumothorax From Percutaneous CT-guided Lung Biopsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy is an invaluable tool used for the diagnosis of lung cancer. Pneumothorax (PTX) is the most frequent complication of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy, with a reported incidence of 9 to 40% and a cumulative average incidence of about 20%. Most of these are managed conservatively and about 7 to 21% will require placement of a chest tube. Several techniques have been used in the past to prevent the development of PTX by sealing the needle tract with various materials (autologous blood, saline, hydrogel, collagen plugs), but literature has shown them to be unreliable, clumsy or costly.

The use of Gelfoam slurry for embolizing the needle tract following biopsy has been identified in a retrospective study as a possible intervention to reduce the occurrence of pneumothorax and/or chest tube placement. Gelfoam (Pfizer, New York, NY, USA) is a gelatin sponge made from bovine corium, which can absorb fluids 40 times its weight and can enlarge by 200% in size. This property allows the material to effectively plug the biopsy track by volumetric expansion, which prevents passage of air from the lung into the pleural cavity and creation of a pneumothorax. Gelfoam is cheap, is readily available both as a sponge and powder and can be easily made into a slurry by mixing with saline. The slurry is semisolid in consistency and can be easily injected through the biopsy cannula into the needle track.

In the experimental group, as the biopsy cannula is withdrawn, Gelfoam will be injected carefully, lacing the needle track. In both groups, immediate post-procedure CT scans and subsequent follow up X-rays 1 and 2 hours post-procedure will be used to monitor for pneumothorax.