Scan-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy in malignant hepatic disease.

The method of scan-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of the liver is described, and the diagnostic value of this combined method in the diagnosis of malignant hepatic disease is evaluated in 83 confirmed cases, showing a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 94%. The combined method is compared to liver scanning alone and to Menghini biopsy. Different methods for the diagnosis of malignant hepatic disease are discussed, and it is concluded that scan-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy has a diagnostic value only obtainable otherwise by a combination of liver scanning and biopsy during laparoscopy. Cytologic features in the two most common tumor types in this study, i.e., metastatic colonic adenocarcinoma and hepatocarcinoma, are presented along with a brief discussion of the specificity of the cytologic diagnosis of hepatocarcinoma.