Effect of smoking on the diagnostic results and complication rates of percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy

To investigate the association of smoking with the outcomes of percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB). In total, 4668 PTNBs for pulmonary lesions were retrospectively identified. The associations of smoking status (never, former, current smokers) and smoking intensity (≤ 20, 21–40, > 40 pack-years) with diagnostic results (malignancy, non-diagnostic pathologies, and false-negative results in non-diagnostic pathologies) and complications (pneumothorax and hemoptysis) were assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Among the 4668 PTNBs (median age of the patients, 66 years [interquartile range, 58–74]; 2715 men), malignancies, non-diagnostic pathologies, and specific benign pathologies were identified in 3054 (65.4