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Published on: December 21, 2019
A Single-Institution Experience in Percutaneous Image-Guided Biopsy of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
B T Welch1, P W Eiken2, T D Atwell2
1Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st ST SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA. Welch.brian@mayo.edu.
Purpose:
Mesothelioma has been considered a difficult pathologic diagnosis to achieve via image-guided core needle biopsy. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic sensitivity of percutaneous image-guided biopsy for diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma.
Materials And Methods:
Retrospective review was performed to identify patients with a confirmed diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma and who underwent image-guided needle biopsy between January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2016. Thirty-two patients with pleural mesothelioma were identified and included for analysis in 33 image-guided biopsy procedures. Patient, procedural, and pathologic characteristics were recorded. Complications were characterized via standardized nomenclature [Common Terminology for Clinically Adverse Events (CTCAE)].
Results:
Percutaneous image-guided biopsy was associated with an overall sensitivity of 81%. No CTCAE clinically significant complications were observed. No image-guided procedures were complicated by pneumothorax or necessitated chest tube placement. No patients had tumor seeding of the biopsy tract.
Conclusion:
Percutaneous image-guided biopsy can achieve high sensitivity for pathologic diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma with a low procedural complication rate, potentially obviating need for surgical biopsy.
