The role of surgical lung biopsy in the management of interstitial lung disease: experience from a single institution in the UK

Abstract

SLB is a well-recognized procedure. Although it provides a diagnosis for the majority of patients, in our series SLB was inconclusive in a considerable number of cases and did not lead to a therapeutic change for more than half of all patients. Furthermore, SLB is not without risk and can be associated with a prolonged hospital stay. We believe that SLB should be performed in a select group of patients with ILD after discussion by a multidisciplinary panel.