Bipolar radiofrequency track cautery during abdominal biopsies: teaching points and lessons learned

Abdominal percutaneous needle biopsies are commonly performed minimally invasive procedures to obtain tissue samples for histopathological diagnosis. Severe post-biopsy bleeding is uncommon but can be associated with prolonged hospitalization, additional interventions, morbidity, and death. Many factors may increase bleeding risk and various peri-procedural and intra-procedural strategies may minimize bleeding risk. Bipolar radiofrequency track cautery is one method that may reduce the risk of post-biopsy bleeding or tumor seeding. This paper offers an illustrative case-based review of teaching points and lessons learned in our experience using a commercially available bipolar radiofrequency track cautery device during percutaneous image-guided abdominal biopsies.