• To study if a new plug for sealing biopsy sites (the Biopsy Sciences lung biopsy track plug) will help to prevent air leaks after a lung biopsy is performed. [ Time Frame: 4 Years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  

Air leaks are the most common problem after a lung biopsy. Air leaks can be mild to severe. Mild air leaks are monitored by chest x-ray and may go away by themselves. Air leaks can cause pain and require repeated x-rays, and in some cases the need for a tube to be inserted into the chest for drainage of the air.

If you agree to take part in this study, you will be randomly assigned (as in the toss of a coin) to 1of 2 groups. Participants in one group will receive the experimental lung plug after the lung biopsy. Participants in the other group will just have the standard lung biopsy without placement of the plug. There is an equal chance of being assigned to either group.

All participants will have the routine lung biopsy performed by their doctor with the aid of a computerized tomography (CT) scan. During a lung biopsy, a needle is inserted into the mass in the lung using the CT for guidance. A smaller needle is then inserted through the first needle to collect a sample of the tissue.

If you are assigned to receive the lung plug, it will be inserted into the track left when the biopsy needle is removed. The smaller sampling needle is removed, and the lung plug is inserted through the larger needle using a delivery tool that has a plunger to push the plug in place. The lung plug remains in the track left when the larger needle is removed.

Regardless of which group you are assigned to, you will be receive the same follow-up treatment. The rates of air leaks after the lung biopsy will be compared between 2 groups of participants. This will provide researchers with the data to learn if the lung plug should be used for all patients receiving a lung biopsy to decrease the number of air leaks.

Your doctor will watch you carefully for air leaks. You will have a chest x-ray about 1 hour after the procedure to again check for air leaks. If a leak is detected, you will receive the normal treatment for air leaks, which includes chest x-rays on a regular basis. If the air leak grows, you may need a chest tube placed for drainage. It is possible that this may require you to stay in the hospital overnight. In the most extreme cases, additional surgery may be needed to stop the air leak. Over time, your body will absorb the plug. A final x-ray will be taken 1 month after the biopsy to be sure that an air leak has not developed.

You will be asked to be in the study for 30 days. This will include the time you spend in the hospital for the biopsy and, if you have an air leak, the entire time you spend in the hospital, if it needs to be treated. In addition, you will return to your doctor the day following the biopsy and 30 days later to have a chest x-ray to look for any late air leaks.

THIS IS AN INVESTIGATIONAL STUDY. The Biopsy Sciences lung biopsy track plug is approved by the FDA for use as a site marker so that the surgeons can identify the exact spot where a biopsy sample was taken. Its use in decreasing the number of air leaks is experimental. About 300 people will take part in this multicenter study. Up to 150 will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.