[Ultrasound-guided needle biopsy of malignant liver cyst (author's transl)]

A liver cyst was detected during a routine ultrasonographic examination. Needle biopsy of the cyst was performed using ultrasound as a guidance device during puncture. Malignant cells could be demonstrated on cytological examination. Needle biopsy of circumscribed lesions of the liver is a low risk procedure, causing no strain for the patient. Needle biopsy should be done, when a hepatic cyst is detected by ultrasound, when there is suspicion of malignancy, and when a parasitic lesion has been excluded.