Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of bone lesions: A preliminary report

The purpose of this preliminary study was to determine the feasibility of u ltrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of suspected neoplastic lesi ons of bone. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy samples were o btained in 23 patients (22 dogs and one cat) with radiographic evidence of a destructive or destructive/productive bone lesion. The lesions were locat ed in the appendicular skeleton in 20 patients and in the axial skeleton in three. Histopathology from tissue core biopsies and/or necropsy uas not de emed necessary in 11 patients where ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiratio n biopsy results a ere conclusive for neoplasia, A cytologic diagnosis from ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy was confirmed by histologi c samples obtained at surgery or necropsy in five patients. In one of these five, ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy samples were diagnos tic for sarcoma when tissue-fore biopsy was inconclusive, Both ultrasound-g uided fine-needle aspiration biopsy and tissue core biopsy techniques were inconclusive in one patient. Ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration biops y samples were nondiagnostic in five patients where a follow-up histopathol ogic diagnosis of neoplasia was made. It was concluded that ultrasound-guid ed fine-needle aspiration biopsy of bone, if diagnostic, mag help avoid the need for a tissue-core biopsy in some instances. However, a negative ultra sound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy sample does not rule out neoplas ia, A negative ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy should be fo llowed by a tissue-core biopsy and histologic analysis in all patients. Ult rasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy seems to be a promising techni que for the diagnosis of bone lesions.