Core needle biopsy for bone tumours.

INTRODUCTION

Percutaneous core biopsy of bone lesions provides early and definitive diagnosis and guides decisions on management. It is an inexpensive examination technique and has negligible complication rates.

METHODS

We performed a prospective study of 136 patients who underwent core biopsies for bone lesions over an 18-month period. A Jamshidi (J) needle was used to obtain a core of tissue and specimens were sent for histopathological examination. Biopsy results were analysed for adequacy, ability to yield diagnostic information and for accuracy of diagnosis.

RESULTS

The mean age of patients was 27.5 years with a range of 3-72 years. There were 84 males and 52 females in the study. Histopathological diagnosis was obtained in 121 (89%) patients. The specimen was non-diagnostic in 15 patients. Fourteen patients required two attempts and two patients required three attempts at biopsy. Sixty-two of 64 patients (96.9%) who had a confirmed final diagnosis had an accurate J-needle histopathological diagnosis. None of the patients had any major complications.

DISCUSSION

Core needle biopsy is an important tool in the evaluation of bone lesions. It is a safe, reliable and accurate procedure and yields diagnostic information in a high proportion of patients. It has several advantages over an open bone biopsy.