[Percutaneous vertebral biopsy. Assessment of results]

The results were reviewed of 81 percutaneous trephine biopsies performed under fluoroscopic or CT guidance from January, 1989, to August, 1994, in 78 patients with thoracic or lumbar vertebral lesions. All the patients presented abnormal findings at conventional radiography and questionable CT or MR findings. A fine-needle sample was obtained as a complementary tool in 9 patients and material for microbiologic culture in 5 patients. Clinical and pathologic findings were correlated for each patient. Biopsy always permitted to obtain sufficient material for the histologic examination; its overall accuracy was 91%. The technique exhibited the highest diagnostic sensitivity in vertebral tumors (100%) and the lowest sensitivity in vertebral infections (69%). Complementary fine-needle sampling was useful especially in small osteolytic lesions, while the microbiologic examination was often negative. There was only one pneumothorax due to the maneuver. To conclude, percutaneous trephine biopsy of thoracic and lumbar spine lesions is a valuable tool for tumor diagnosis which usually spares the patients open surgery.