Sonographically guided core-needle biopsy in the diagnosis of superficial lymphadenopathy

Purpose, This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-gui ded percutaneous core-needle biopsy for establishing histopathologic diagno ses of palpable enlarged lymph nodes. Methods. Thirty patients without a history of malignancy or recent infectio n underwent ultrasound-guided core-needle lymph node biopsies. Only patient s with enlarged lymph nodes ranging from 1.5 to 3.5 cm in greatest diameter that had been present for more than 2 months were included in this study. Two cores from each lymph node were obtained by a freehand core-needle biop sy technique using a 7-MHz ultrasound transducer and an automatic spring-lo aded biopsy gun with an 18-gauge cutting needle. Results. The histologic diagnoses were conclusive in 24 cases (80%) and inc onclusive in 6 cases (20%). In the 24 conclusive cases, the lymph node enla rgement was due to benign causes in 12 cases and malignancy in 12 cases. Al l specimens in the conclusive cases were sufficient for histologic diagnosi s, but there was insufficient material for a diagnosis in 3 of the inconclu sive cases. No complications were seen in this series. Conclusions. Ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy of enlarged lymph nodes i s a safe, minimally invasive alternative to surgical biopsy, enabling a his tologic diagnosis for treatment planning in most cases. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.