title: Histologic differential diagnosis of focal liver lesions by ultrasonically guided fine needle biopsy.
abstract: Ultrasonically guided fine needle biopsies were carried out in 84 patients with focal liver lesions and were subsequently evaluated histologically. A correct diagnosis of malignancy was made in 46 of 52 patients with proven hepatic malignancy, showing an overall accuracy of 93%. The specificity of the procedure was 100%. Such histological examination not only enables the differentiation between primary and secondary hepatic malignancy; it has the additional advantage of making a more precise tumour description and at the same time it pinpoints the primary site of the tumour.
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography