CT-guided biopsy with cutting-edge needle for the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma: experience of 267 biopsies.
OBJECTIVE
We performed a retrospective study of 267 core needle aspiration biopsies in order to estimate the accuracy of CT-guided aspiration core needle biopsies for the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of malignant lymphoma.


METHODS
Between 1989 and 1999, 267 CT-guided core needle biopsies were performed in 241 patients with either primary or recurrent malignant lymphoma. Patients age ranged from 4--88 years. One hundred and sixty-six (62.2%) nodal and 101 (37.8%) extranodal aspiration biopsies were performed using either 18G or 20G Turner needles. Statistical method used was Chi-square analysis.


RESULTS
An accurate histological diagnosis was made in 199 (82.5%) patients, the remaining 42 (17.4%) patients had non-diagnostic CT biopsies. Thirty-seven of them were diagnosed by a surgical biopsy, four by bone marrow biopsy and in one patient by paracentesis. One hundred and seventy-nine patients had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and 62 had Hodgkin's disease (HD); 23 (9.54%) patients underwent repeated CT biopsy which was diagnostic in 17 (73.9%) and non-diagnostic in six (26%).


CONCLUSIONS
CT-guided aspiration core biopsies were sufficient to establish a diagnosis in lymphoproliferative disorders in 82.5% of cases. In the light of this experience we suggest that imaging-guided core needle biopsy be used as the first step in the work up of many patients with lymphoma.
Agid
R
R
Department of Radiology, Hadassah University Hospital, Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Sklair-Levy
M
M
Bloom
A I
AI
Lieberman
S
S
Polliack
A
A
Ben-Yehuda
D
D
Sherman
Y
Y
Libson
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed