PERCUTANEOUS VERTEBRAL BIOPSY WITH FLUORO SCOPIC GUIDANCE - ADVANTAGES AND RESULTS

Material and methods. 76 percutaneous vertebral biopsies were performe d with fluoroscopic guidence at the Radiology B Service, Hopital Cochi n in Paris, from November 1991 to March 1994. There were 12 cervical, 23 thoracic, 45 lumbar and sacral biopsies. There were 71 patients (28 women and 43 men), aged 22 to 88 years old (mean age 55.9). The needl e used was either a trophine needle (Mazabraud) or a cutting needle (S urcut) or both. We have been doing vertebral percutaneous biopsies for 20 years in our radiology Service, and we published a review of 100 c ases in 1983. The aim of this second review is to actualize the techni que and the results. Results. An accurate diagnosis was made in 80% of all cases. Diagnosis were: malignancy (34 cases), infection (21 cases ), benign compression fracture (10 cases), miscellaneous (11 cases). T here were two complications, one at the cervical spine (aggravation of a cervical cord compression) and one at the thoracic spine (pneumotho rax). Conclusion. Percutaneous vertebral biopsy under fluoroscopic gui dence is a safe and reliable method of obtaining a diagnosis in differ ent spine lesions, avoiding thus, in most cases, a surgical procedure.