NIVATS Versus IGAVATS: a Pilot Trial Addressing Biopsy Quality in Undetermined Interstitial Lung Diseases

The main objective of this study is to compare two independent groups of patients requiring lung biopsy for undetermined interstitial lung disease (ILD) in terms of diagnostic confidence as determined by histologists.

The primary objective of this study is to compare two independent groups of patients requiring lung biopsy for undetermined interstitial lung disease (ILD) in terms of diagnostic confidence as determined by histologists. The experimental arm will be operated under a neoteric non-intubated video assisted thoracic surgery (NIVATS) technique and the comparator arm under a usual intubated general anaesthesia video-assisted thoracic surgery (IGAVATS) technique. Secondarily, the two groups will also be compared in terms of: (i) further variables associated with histology, biopsy quality and size; (ii) surgical performance, (iii) patient trajectories and lung function; (iv) quality of life, and (v) harms.