travel by air right after lung biopsy

[terence726]

May I know if you can travel by air right after a lung biopsy? If not, how many days of rest is needed?

[terence726]

Just came back from holiday without any problem, thank you very much for your help! Cheers!

[Fernando Roque, MD]

As an addition: If a post-biopsy chest CT can be done, this would be a better choice for confirming the presence or absence of pneumothorax.  If no imaging procedure can be done immediately after the biopsy, it would be prudent to observe for 24 hours (for any signs of pneumothorax, such as progressive difficulty in breathing) before allowing any air travel.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  If you're referring to a CT guided fine needle aspiration biopsy, travel by air right after the procedure is allowed, for as long as a repeat chest x-ray done after the biopsy can confirm that no pneumothorax (free air in the chest cavity) has occurred.