title: Technique for office-based, ultrasonography-guided percutaneous biopsy of renal cortical neoplasms using a novel transducer for facilitated ultrasound targeting.
abstract: To help clarify which small renal cortical neoplasms (RCNs) require surgery by using office-based, ultrasonography-guided percutaneous renal biopsy.
  
  
  
  Biopsies were performed using facilitated ultrasound targeting (FUT) technology, which incorporates a needle guide and onscreen beam-steered technology to permit highly precise needle deployment. Patient and tumour characteristics, procedure time, complications and biopsy efficacy were documented. Wong-Baker pain levels were obtained before, during and 1 h after the procedure.
  
  
  
  Seven patients underwent biopsy, six for RCNs and one for medical renal disease. The mean (range) patient age was 68.5 (54-79) years, and the mean (range) tumour diameter was 2.55 (2.0-2.9) cm. Mean pain levels before, during and 1 h after the procedure were 0, 1.6 and 0.5, respectively. There were no intra- or post-procedural complications. Biopsy results were diagnostic in five of the six RCN cases and in the single case of medical renal disease.
  
  
  
  Our preliminary experience shows that office-based percutaneous renal biopsy using a novel transducer for FUT is safe and effective. An international multicentre study is planned to confirm these preliminary results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ashleigh D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Menhadji
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Vien
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Zhamshid
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Okhunov
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bucur
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Wing Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Billingsley
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D061705:Image-Guided Biopsy; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061214:Patient Safety; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States
keywords: image-guided biopsy; kidney cancer; ultrasonography