Ultrasound-guided 1.2-mm cutting-needle biopsies of head and neck tumours.
OBJECTIVE
To establish the role of ultrasound-guided cutting-needle biopsy in the diagnostic-work-up of tumours in the head and neck region.


METHODS
Seventy-two patients (74 biopsies) with tumours in the head and neck were biopsied by means of a biopsy gun fitted with a 1.2-mm biopsy needle (midsized-needle biopsy, MNB). Twenty-four biopsies were taken from salivary glands, 29 from lymph nodes, and 21 from miscellaneous locations. Thirty-three of the patients were biopsied by MNB under ultrasound guidance after a blinded fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was considered non-diagnostic or non-representative.


RESULTS
In 91% of the cases, the MNB diagnosis was identical to the final diagnosis (surgical or radiological/clinical follow-up: at least 6 months), 9% were false-negative/ non-representative. In 17/33 patients MNB was considered to provide more diagnostic information than FNAB, the methods had equal accuracy in 12 patients, and in 4 patients the information already gained with FNAB was superior to that provided by MNB. The non-diagnostic sampling rate for FNAB was 25% versus 3% for MNB. In 26 patients with malignant lymphoma, MNB results were diagnostically correct in all but 2 cases. FNAB was correct in 2 of 9 cases. There were no biopsy-related complications.


CONCLUSIONS
MNB was found to be safe and to possess a high degree of diagnostic accuracy, and could therefore, particularly in patients with lymphoma, be considered a diagnostic alternative to FNAB.
Elvin
A
A
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Sundström
C
C
Larsson
S G
SG
Lindgren
P G
PG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003949:Diagnostic Techniques, Surgical; D004867:Equipment Design; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional