Health Care Encyclopedia
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Lung needle biopsy cultureDefinition: Lung needle biopsy culture is a laboratory test�that examines a piece of�lung tissue to look for�the cause of an�infection.
Alternative Names: Culture - lung needle biopsy
How the test is performed: After a piece of lung tissue is taken from a patient's lung (a biopsy), the tissue is sent to a laboratory. The laboratory technician will place the�tissue sample in�a special substance that promotes growth. This can help identify the cause of illness or infection.
How to prepare for the test: See lung needle biopsy. The culture is done in a lab. You do not need to prepare for this.
Why the test is performed: A lung needle biopsy culture is performed when infection of the lung is suspected and sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage (see Bronchoscopy with lavage "BAL") cultures have not identified the cause of the infection.
Normal Values: A normal result is no growth of organisms.
What abnormal results mean: Abnormal results may indicate a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection of the lung.
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| Review Date: 11/16/2005
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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