How should the core biopsy needle be oriented to minimize the risk of pneumothorax?

How should the core biopsy needle be oriented to minimize the risk of pneumothorax?

• A. Perpendicular to the chest wall
• B. Parallel to the chest wall
• C. Directed toward the nipple
• D. Angled away from the chest wall

Answer: (B)

Minimize pneumothorax risk by keeping the needle trajectory within the breast tissue and away from the pleural space beneath the chest wall. Aligning the needle parallel to the chest wall reduces the chance of breaching the pleura and entering the lung, which is the main way a pneumothorax would occur during a breast core biopsy. A perpendicular path to the chest wall would more readily advance toward the pleura, increasing that risk. Directions toward the nipple or angling away from the chest wall are not specifically about safely avoiding the pleura and can still carry unnecessary risk or make it harder to reach the target. Keeping the needle parallel to the chest wall provides the safest, tissue-contained path to obtain the sample.

Minimize pneumothorax risk by keeping the needle trajectory within the breast tissue and away from the pleural space beneath the chest wall. Aligning the needle parallel to the chest wall reduces the chance of breaching the pleura and entering the lung, which is the main way a pneumothorax would occur during a breast core biopsy. A perpendicular path to the chest wall would more readily advance toward the pleura, increasing that risk. Directions toward the nipple or angling away from the chest wall are not specifically about safely avoiding the pleura and can still carry unnecessary risk or make it harder to reach the target. Keeping the needle parallel to the chest wall provides the safest, tissue-contained path to obtain the sample.