title: [The use of echo-guided fine-needle biopsy in the diagnosis of nodular hepatic lesions].
abstract: 211 patients were submitted to percutaneous ultrasound-guided liver biopsy: 184 patients (87.2%) had only one focal lesion, the other 27 had two or more lesions. In 9 patients (4.27%) the material drawn out from the liver was not adequate for microscopic examination (Retrieval Rate 95.7%). Histological evaluation revealed: absence of neoplasm in 67 patients (31.75%), benign lesion in 29 patients (13.74%), primitive malignant lesion in 70 patients (33.18%) and metastatic malignant lesion in 36 patients (17.06%). Combining the histological data with disease manifestation, biopsy showed a sensitivity of 95.1%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 89.4% and a diagnostic accuracy of 92.4%. None of the most important complications described in literature was observed. Our study confirms that ultrasound guided biopsy is a procedure of high diagnostic value in patients with nodular liver lesions, advantageous for its simplicity, low cost and safety.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra e Divisione di Medicina Interna II, Università, Modena.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cioni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Alimonte
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turrini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tincani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cristani
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rebecchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bagni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ventura
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography
vernacular_title: Utilità della biopsia ecoguidata con ago sottile nella diagnosi delle lesioni nodulari epatiche.