[Transperitoneal fine needle biopsy of retroperitoneal lymph nodes in cancer diagnosis]

Preoperative lymphography was performed in 97 patients with urological malignoma. Fine needle punctions were performed of 458 suspicious as well as non-suspecious lymph nodes. In 22 cases lymphographic and cytological findings were compared with histological results after lymphadenectomy. It could be shown that of 15 cases with lymph node metastases lymphographic and cytologic findings were corresponding in 6 cases. In 9 cases tumor cells were found in lymph nodes even though the lymphogram was rated non-suspicious. It is concluded that fine needle biopsy of lymph nodes after lymphography is an important improvement in preoperative diagnosis of malignoma.