title: CT-guided biopsies: quality, complications and impact on treatment: a retrospective initial quality control.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively evaluate the quality and complications of CT-guided biopsies and their impact on treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 265 CT-guided interventions performed during a 6-month period were extracted by digital database query. These included 127 CT-guided biopsies, which were classified by patient age, organ/body area, histopathological biopsy diagnosis, complications, and performing physician.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 51 % of cases (65 / 127), CT-guided biopsies led to a malignant diagnosis and a change in the patient's treatment. Retrospectively, complications were to be expected in a range of 12 - 26 %, given a 95 % confidence interval. In terms of organ/body area, most complications occurred in lung biopsies (23 / 56; 41 %). 80 % of CT-guided biopsies were performed without complications. 2 of the 11 physicians performed 66 % of all biopsies (84 / 127) and had significantly fewer complications than the others. Patient age was a statistically significant factor for complications (p < 0.018) as well as for a malignant biopsy diagnosis (p < 0.009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our initial quality control assessment suggests that frequent use of CT-guided biopsy by the performing physician rather than the general level of experience is associated with fewer complications for patients. Age is a significant factor for complications of CT-guided biopsies, thus leading to an increased risk/benefit ratio. As expected, age also significantly increases the risk of a malignant biopsy result. Complications and malignant biopsy results were not significantly associated. CT-guided biopsies triggered a change in treatment in over 50 % of cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Charité: University Medicine Berlin. mdb@charite.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Bucourt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Busse
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zada
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaschke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Teichgräber
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rogalla
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D011786:Quality Control; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*