value of percutaneous needle biopsy in the diagnosis of lytic lesions of the spine

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the value of percutaneous needle biopsy in the diagnosis of lytic lesions in the spine. Over a five-year period, 47 percutaneous needle biopsies were performed on 45 patients for lytic lesions shown by plain radiography in one or more vertebrae. There were 24 lesions in the dorsal, 19 in the lumbar and 4 in the cervical spine. A variety of pathological conditions were found which included tuberculosis, brucellosis, tumor metastasis, myeloma and non-specific infections. Of the 47 biopsies, there were 39 positive results, 6 unreliable and 2 were negative where no pathology was found. The reliability of the biopsy was assessed either by further specimens taken during the operation for treatment of the lesion or by the result of the treatment during the follow-up period. The accuracy of diagnosis in the present study was found to be 83%. No major complications were encountered in this series