A feasibility study for percutaneous retroperitoneal lymph node biopsy.

A percutaneous technique for the biopsy of retroperitoneal lymph nodes was studied in animals and cadavers. Access to the retroperitoneal space from the groin to the diaphragm has been achieved, and satisfactory biopsies of iliac and lumbar lymph nodes opacified by pedal lymphangiography have been obtained. Further investigations, however, are needed to improve the technique and to minimize the potential hazards associated with this procedure.