Role of ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy in the assessment of head and neck lesions: a meta-analysis and systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

Core-needle biopsy (CNB) has occasionally been used in the work-up of head and neck lesions. However, no systematic review of this simple, minimally invasive method has yet been performed.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of data extracted from 16 included studies were performed. A total of 1291 cervical lesions in 1267 patients were examined by CNB. This resulted in 1232 adequate samples, from which 554 were subsequently confirmed by excisional biopsy.

RESULTS

CNB was able to identify true neoplasms and detect malignancy in head and neck lesions with an overall accuracy of 94% and 96%, respectively, even though there was a significant difference between the histologically verified and all adequate samples. CNB provided a correct specific diagnosis in 87% of cases without major complications and achieved a higher accuracy than that of fine-needle aspiration in detecting malignancy.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis confirms that CNB is an excellent method in the assessment of salivary gland lesions and lymphadenopathies inclusive of malignant lymphoma, but it is not ideal for evaluating thyroid lesions.