The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), a leading patient education and advocacy organization representing the more than 200,000 Americans living with pulmonary fibrosis (PF), has issued a position statement on the role of surgical lung biopsy in the diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. The statement advises that surgical lung biopsy be considered only for patients who lack a confident clinical-radiographic diagnosis after the appropriate noninvasive evaluation.
“It is critical that patients first undergo a thorough evaluation before surgical lung biopsy is considered,” says Gregory Cosgrove, MD, chief medical officer for PFF. “In most cases, a diagnosis of PF can be made after the appropriate noninvasive evaluations are completed.”

Lida Hariri, MD, PhD, pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brett Ley, MD, pulmonologist at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, cochaired the group of physicians from the PFF care center network who authored the surgical lung biopsy position statement.

When considered in the context of multidisciplinary discussion, surgical lung biopsy has an overall diagnostic yield of approximately 90% for interstitial lung diseases but is not required to achieve a confident diagnosis. PFF does not recommend surgical lung biopsy for patients who are at an increased risk for postoperative complications or for patients who are not expected to benefit from a change in treatment.

To read more, visit the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.