CT-guided bone biopsy: Initial experience with a commercially available hand held Black and Decker drill

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Interventional Radiology

Background:

• CT-guided bone biopsies are crucial for diagnosing bone pathologies.
• Traditional methods may involve specialized equipment, potentially increasing costs and complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of using a readily available commercial hand drill for CT-guided bone biopsies.
• To assess the technical feasibility, diagnostic yield, and complication rates of this adapted technique.

Main Methods:

• A specially designed adapter enabled connection of standard bone biopsy kits to a commercial hand drill.
• Musculoskeletal radiologists at three international institutions performed CT-guided bone biopsies using the adapted drill.
• Data on technical success, diagnostic yield, and complications were collected over a 3-year period.

Main Results:

• Sixty-eight patients underwent CT-guided bone biopsy with the commercial drill.
• Technical success was achieved in 65 patients (95.6%).
• Diagnostic material was obtained in 53 patients (77.9%), with no major complications reported.

Conclusions:

• CT-guided bone biopsy using a commercial hand drill is a technically successful and safe procedure.
• This method demonstrates a high diagnostic yield with a low complication rate.
• The use of a simple, commercially available drill offers a potentially cost-effective and accessible alternative for bone biopsy procedures.