Background. Transbronchial lung cryobiopsies (TBLCs) are a promising diagnostic tool in the setting of diffuse parenchymal lung\ndiseases (DPLDs).However, no comparison with surgical lung biopsy (SLB) in the same patient is available.Methods.Thediagnostic\nyield and safety data of TBLCs, as well as the result of SLB performed after TBLCs, were analysed in a multicentric Belgian study.\nA SLB was performed after TBLCs in absence of a definite pathological diagnosis or if a NSIP pattern was observed without related\ncondition identified following multidisciplinary discussion. Results. Between April 2015 and November 2016, 30 patients were\nincluded. Frequent complications included pneumothorax (20%) and bleeding (severe 7%, moderate 33%, and mild 53%). There\nwas no mortality. The overall diagnostic yield was 80%. A SLB was performed in six patients (three without definite histological\npattern and three with an NSIP). The surgical biopsy changed the pathological diagnosis into a UIP pattern in five patients and\nconfirmed a NSIP pattern in one patient. Conclusion. TBLCs are useful in the diagnostic work-up of DPLDs avoiding a SLB in 80%\nof the patients. However, surgical biopsies, performed as a second step after TBLCs because of an indefinite diagnosis or a NSIP\npattern, provide additional information supporting the interest of a sequential approach in these patients.
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