Sensitivity of biopsy using local anesthesia in detecting nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Flexible and rigid endoscopes allow good visualization of the nasopharynx using local anesthesia, and permit biopsies to be taken under direct vision. Little information is available on the accuracy of biopsies taken using local anesthesia, and general anesthesia is usually recommended for evaluation and biopsy of the nasopharynx to avoid missing small or submucosal lesions. We report the results from 260 patients biopsied using local anesthesia (188) and general anesthesia (72). All biopsies were taken using large nasal biopsy forceps under direct vision. The sensitivity of this technique in diagnosing nasopharyngeal carcinoma was 95.1% using local anesthesia and 95.6% using general anesthesia. We suggest that general anesthesia is rarely necessary for definitive biopsy of the nasopharynx. In the majority of patients, an accurate diagnosis can be obtained using large biopsy forceps under direct vision using local anesthesia.