Abstract

This study was conducted to compare two techniques for obtaining lung biopsy in dogs. Twelve adult dogs from both sexes were used in this study. The animals were divided into two groups, each group contained six dogs. In both groups, the animals were applied under right thoracotomy for lung biopsy collection from the middle lobe. In group one the lung biopsy was obtained by removal of a piece of lung tissue with a scalpel and the cut edge was sutured by two rows of continuous horizontal matters and simple continuous patterns where as in group two the biopsy was collected using a therom-cautery device and the cut edge was left without suturing. Gross and histopathological changes were examined on postoperative days 15 and 30. The gross pathological changes in group one after 15 day revealed presence of severe adhesions between the cutting site and pleura where as the adhesion was less after 30 postoperative day. The pulmonary tissue at site of biopsy collection relatively became hard especially near the suture line. Group two showed no adhesion on postoperative day 15 but the adhesion appeared on postoperative day 30 between the sites of cauterization with the other lung lobes which varied from simple to moderate adhesion while the lung tissue at cauterization site had approximately the same consistency of normal lung tissues. The histopathlogical changes in group one was characterized by formation of inflammatory nodules and high infiltration of inflammatory cells particularly polymorphonucular cells with presence of pulmonary hemorrhage and edema in the cutting site. Group two showed lesser histopathological changes and they were associated with lesser mononuclear inflammatory cells where as hemorrhage and edema were not developed on the cutting site. In conclusion, the use of thermo-cautery device to obtain the lung biopsy is simple, fast, less invasive and more aseptic than use the cutting and suturing method.