PERCUTANEOUS ADRENAL BIOPSY - REVIEW OF A 10-YEAR EXPERIENCE

PURPOSE: To evaluate the indications for and complications, accuracy, and techniques of percutaneous adrenal biopsy performed from 1982 thro ugh 1991 at the authors' institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundr ed seventy-seven percutaneous adrenal biopsies were performed in 270 p atients (175 male and 102 female patients, aged 31-84 years). Imaging studies and histories were reviewed, and each patient's case was follo wed up for at least 1 year after the biopsy. A patient was excluded fr om the study only if follow-up data could not be obtained. RESULTS: Th e accuracy of percutaneous adrenal biopsy was 90% (249 of 277 biopsies ). In the first 5 years of the study, the accuracy was 85% (87 of 102 biopsies); in the latter 5 years it was 93% (163 of 175 biopsies). The sensitivity was 81%, and the specificity was 99%. The positive predic tive value was 99%, and the negative predictive value was 80%. The com plication rate was 2.8%. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous biopsy is a safe, ac curate procedure for the diagnosis of pathologic conditions of the adr enal glands. The most common indication for a biopsy is the presence o f an adrenal mass in a patient with lung cancer.