CT-guided percutaneous biopsies of parapharyngeal space lesions

ABSTRACT

Fine needle aspiration biopsy [FNA] of superficial and deep-seated lesions of the head and neck has been used extensively with high sensitivity and specificity. Several articles have stressed the role of computed tomography in detecting and staging head and neck tumors. FNA has been paired with imaging guided localization for the cytologic assessment of lesions in the parapharyngeal space. This work presented a series of 30 CT-guided percutaneous biopsies performed between January 1997 and January 2000 at Assiut University Hospital. The age of the patients ranged from 13 to 60 years [mean 37] with 21 males and 9 females. Analysis of the results showed 8 inflammatory lesions, 12 benign tumors and 10 malignant neoplasms. Correlation with histopathology of true-cut needle or incisional biopsy showed a diagnostic accuracy of 88.0% but certain lesions could not be diagnosed by this procedure. FNA can replace incisional biopsy, which may be hazardous in this area. Surgery can be avoided for inflammatory lesions