US-GUIDED PERCUTANEOUS CORE LIVER BIOPSY: ANALYSIS OF 171 CASES FROM A SINGLE ONCOLOGY SERVICE

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Though strongly suggestive of metastasis, focal lesions on liver scans of oncological patients require histological confirmation for the prescription of adequate treatment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of US-guided percutaneous core liver biopsy. METHODS: Descriptive, cross-sectional study based on secondary data from 171 patients submitted to US-guided percutaneous core liver biopsy at the diagnostic radiology service of the Ceará Cancer Institute (ICC, Brazil) between February 2010 and March 2015. Quantitative data were expressed in absolute numbers or percentages, with emphasis on the rate of complications observed within six hours after the procedure. RESULTS: The overall accuracy was 96.4%. The overall rate of complications was 2.3%, three quarters of which was due to hemorrhage. Age over 50 years was positively associated with accuracy. No deaths occurred within the period of observation. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the claim that the use of thick biopsy needles improves diagnostic accuracy. The few complications observed were non-lethal and predominantly hemorrhagic.