Percutaneous biopsy of osteolytic lesions: use of a biopsy gun.

Percutaneous bone biopsy with use of traditional trephine needles may be unsuccessful in osteolytic lesions. The authors used an 18-gauge biopsy gun in 25 consecutive lytic lesions. This procedure was safe, effective, and not technically difficult. Use of biopsy guns with detachable handles made positioning with computed tomography (CT) guidance less difficult. The only technical difficulty arose in biopsy of small lesions, in which the gun may misfire when contacting solid bone. A biopsy gun is an effective tool in the biopsy of osteolytic lesions.