title: Usefulness and safety of biliary percutaneous transluminal forceps biopsy (PTFB): our experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the usefulness and safety of percutaneous transluminal forceps biopsy in patients suspected of having a malignant biliary obstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty consecutive patients (21 men and 19 women; mean age, 71.9 years) underwent forceps biopsy through percutaneous transhepatic biliary access performed to drain bile. Lesions involved the common bile duct (n 8), common hepatic duct (n 18), hilum (n 6), ampullary segment of the common bile duct (n 8) and were biopsied with 7-F biopsy forceps. Final diagnosis was confirmed with pathologic findings at surgery, or clinical and radiologic follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one of 40 biopsies resulted in correct diagnosis of malignancy. Thirteen biopsy diagnosis were proved to be true-negative. There were six false-negative and no false-positive diagnoses. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in aspecific biliary obstructions were 85%, 100% and 88,7% respectively. Sensitivity of biopsy in malignancies was higher than in benign obstructions (100% vs 68,4%, CI = 95%). Sensitivity was lower in the hilum tract and in the common bile duct than in other sites (CI = 95%). No major complications related to biopsy procedures occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Percutaneous transluminal forceps biopsy is a safe procedure, easy to perform through a transhepatic biliary drainage tract, providing high accuracy in the diagnosis of malignant biliary obstructions.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Insubria, Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi , Varese , Italy.
authors: Anna Maria
authors: AM
authors: Ierardi
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Mangini
authors: Federico
authors: F
authors: Fontana
authors: Chiara
authors: C
authors: Floridi
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: De Marchi
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Petrillo
authors: Raffaella
authors: R
authors: Capasso
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Chini
authors: Eugenio
authors: E
authors: Cocozza
authors: Salvatore
authors: S
authors: Cuffari
authors: Sergio
authors: S
authors: Segato
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Rotondo
authors: Gianpaolo
authors: G
authors: Carrafiello
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D001706:Biopsy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000473:pathology*; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013525:Surgical Instruments