[Sonographic-controlled puncture and its effect on further diagnosis and therapy]

Results of 127 sonographically guided punctures performed during 1982 to 1987 were evaluated retrospectively and the results of coarse needle and fine needle punctures were compared. In 74 punctured focal liver changes the superiority of coarse needle biopsy was particularly evident whenever a definitive histological confirmation of the diagnosis is aimed at. No therapy was initiated in 82 of the 127 patients after the biopsy finding had been established, and surgery was performed in 22 cases. 18 patients were given cytostatic treatment, and tumour embolisation was performed twice. 3 patients with non-malignant disease were successfully treated conservatively in pancreatic abscess, intraabdominal tuberculosis and actinomycosis.