[Pulmonary hemorrhage complicating transthoracic puncture].

Fine needle transthoracic aspiration (FNTA) of pulmonary opacities under guidance of computerized tomography (CT) is a simple procedure yielding conclusive results in many patients with malignant lung tumours. The small caliber of the needles utilized and the CT control make this increasingly popular procedure both accurate and safe. Yet a number of complications have occurred; most of them were benign (e.g. pneumothorax) but some were potentially dangerous (e.g. pulmonary haemorrhage), so that the pros and cons of the procedure must carefully be weighed. We report the case of a patient in whom FNTA was complicated by copious haemoptysis and a pulmonary haematoma clearly visible at CT. The literature concerning the potential complications of transthoracic puncture is reviewed.