lung-needle biopsy !

Hi !
had a lung-needle-biopsy performed,.- my Lung  was  punctured,this was thursday,monday new x-ray- more air on my lung,- new x-ray wednesday,.- lung  looking  better,- when can i travel by Airplane,.-after a prolonged lung-collapse-
thanks

[HeinrikMD]

Hi,

Your post is a bit vague. The description of air noted on Monday, sounds like a complication called pneumothorax (an abnormal accumulation of air within the chest but outside of the lungs airways). Lung collapse or atelectasis is a more general description (as the collapse could be due to airways within the lung becoming obstructed, an extrapulmonary mass or fluid pushing on the lung).

There is some concern with patients who have a recent pneumothorax and air travel. A prospective study done in 1999, followed patients with a recent pneumothorax who were to take a flight 14 days after resolution of the pneumothorax. Among those who waited the 14 days – the flight was unremarkable. There was 1 of 2 passengers who had difficulty breathing among those who flew before 2 weeks. Hence, 2 weeks sounds sufficient. Bear in  mind, this is 2 weeks from the time that the penumothorax has resolved documented on an X-ray– not from the time the puncture was done.