MIN-biopsy of brain tumors: operative technique and histomorphological results

MIN-biopsy is defined as an open minimal invasive biopsy, performed by microsurgical principles over a small osteoplastic trepanation or bore hole. Localization of the lesion is performed by exact calculation using the CT-topogram. Between 1993 and 1995 ten patients with unknown intracranial lesions were operated using the MIN-biopsy approach. Age ranged between 36 to 84 years (median age 57.8 years). Patients included five females and five males. Histomorphological diagnosis was possible in all cases. Histological diagnoses were glioblastoma multiforme in three patients and B-cell malignant lymphoma in four cases. Anaplastic astrocytoma was found in one case and the diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma was observed in two patients. Complications or neurological deterioration were not observed. MIN-biopsy seems to be a safe procedure to arrive at exact neuropathological diagnosis of brain tumors. The procedure is compared with the established method of stereotactic biopsy by review of the literature.