OBJECTIVE: To assess the technique, efficacy, and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous biopsies of head and neck masses.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, single-center study of CT-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsies of head and neck masses.For the analysis of diagnostic accuracy, biopsy results were compared with the final diagnosis, which was determined by histological examination and clinical follow-up.
RESULTS: We evaluated 74 biopsies performed in 68 patients.The mean age of the patients was 55.6 years.Most of the lesions (79.7%) were located in the suprahyoid region, and the maximum diameter ranged from 11 mm to 128 mm.The most common approaches were paramaxillary (in 32.4%), retromandibular (in 21.6%), and periorbital (in 14.9%).Five patients (6.8%) developed minor complications.The presence of a complication did not show a statistically significant association with any clinical, radiological, or procedure-related factor.Sufficient material for histological analysis was obtained in all procedures.Thirty-eight biopsies (51.4%) yielded a histological diagnosis of malignancy.There was a false-negative result in three cases (8.3%), and there were no false-positive results.The procedure had a sensitivity of 92.7%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 96.0%.
CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that CT-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsy of head and neck lesions is a safe, effective procedure for obtaining biological material for histological analysis.
Keywords: Image-guided biopsy; Needle biopsy; Tomography, X-ray computed; Head and neck neoplasms.