ABSTRACT
AIM: To determine the contribution of percutaneous biopsy with core cutting needle (Trucut) in the diagnosis of mediastinal tumours. METHOD: Retrospective review of 56 patients with mediastinal lesions who underwent percutaneous core cutting needle biopsy, oriented but not guided by computer assisted tomography of the thorax, 1999 - 2008. RESULTS: Percutaneous biopsy with core cutting needle provided adequate material in 49/56, with a total positive sample rate of 88%. In 7/56 (12%) cases the material was insufficient to define the diagnosis. Percutaneous core cutting needle biopsy established a specific histological diagnosis in 88% of the patients: 23/56 (41%) lymphomas; 12/56 (21%) thymomas; 5/56 (3%) thymic carcinomas; 3/56 (2%) small cell carcinoma and 1/56 (0.6%) metastatic adenocarcinoma, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine primitive carcinoma, plasmocytoma, teratoma and goiter. All patients underwent thoracic X-ray after the procedure. No complications were found in these patients. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous core cutting needle biopsy (Trucut) oriented but not guided by computer assisted tomography of the thorax is an easy and safe procedure which can provide a precise diagnosis in the majority of mediastinal tumours and can prevent the need for exploratory thoracic surgery in cases which are medically treatable or non-resectable.
Subject(s)
Biopsy, Needle/instrumentation , Biopsy, Needle/methods , Mediastinal Neoplasms/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Equipment Design , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Thoracic Wall , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the contribution of percutaneous biopsy with core cutting needle in the diagnosis of mediastinal tumors. METHOD: Retrospective review of 22 patients with mediastinal lesions who were submitted to percutaneous core cutting needle biopsy, oriented, but not guided by computer assisted tomography of the thorax, between 1999 and 2002. RESULTS: Percutaneous biopsy with core cutting needle provided adequate material in 18/22 cases, with a total positive sample rate of 82 percent. In 4/22 cases, the material was insufficient to define the diagnosis (18 percent). Percutaneous core cutting needle biopsy established a specific histologic diagnosis in 82 percent of the patients: 8/22 (36 percent) lymphoma; 5/22 (28 percent) thymoma; 2/22 (11 percent) thymic carcinoma; 1/22 (6 percent) metastatic adenocarcinoma; 1/22 (6 percent) neuroectodermic primitive tumor; and 1/22 (6 percent) plasmocytoma. All the patients were submitted to a thoracic X-ray after the biopsy. No complications were found in these patients. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous core cutting needle biopsy oriented, but not guided by computer assisted tomography of the thorax, is an easy and safe procedure which can provide a precise diagnosis in most mediastinal tumors, and can prevent the exploratory thoracic surgery in inoperable or chemotherapy-treated cases.
