MR-guided core biopsies of soft tissue tumours on an open 0.23 T imager

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of MR-guided soft tissue core biopsies o n an open 0.23 T magnet. Material and Methods: Twenty-nine consecutive patients with known or suspec ted benign or malignant soft tissue tumours underwent MR imaging. A one-sli ce dynamic enhancement sequence was used to obtain an enhancement curve of the tumour. MR-guided core biopsy of the tumour was performed in the same s ession. Results: All biopsies could be performed on an open 0.23 T magnet. Standard MR images and dynamic enhancement curves were used in deciding biopsy rout e and target. The MR-guided core biopsy specimens were sufficient for histo pathological diagnosis in 27 of 29 cases. Conclusion. Open magnet configuration allows easy access to the patient and near real-time imaging guidance of soft tissue tumours. Minimally invasive MR-guided core biopsies of soft tissue tumours are feasible and help to av oid open surgical biopsies.