Percutaneous abdominal biopsy

The radiologically guided percutaneous needle biopsy is of proven value for evaluating intra-abdominal disease. Every region of the abdomen and pelvis is amenable to fine-needle biopsy. Accuracy rates are high with minimal risk to the patient. Current trends in biopsies tend to favour the use of larger core biopsy needles (18-gauge Biopty), and preliminary reports suggest that this is safe and may increase the diagnostic accuracy. Clinicians need not hesitate to call on their radiological colleagues to perform this most important procedure.