Is Image-Guided Biopsy Accurate in the Diagnosis of Renal Masses?
Most renal masses can be diagnosed by imaging techniques, but when the nature of the lesion is not distinguishable on imaging, definitive diagnosis often requires biopsy. Richter and associates assessed the diagnostic accuracy of image-guided biopsy of renal masses that were indeterminate by noninvasive imaging techniques. The retrospective study included 517 cases of renal masses that required image-guided biopsy because of indeterminate findings on renal imaging. Computed tomographic (CT)guided biopsy was performed in 245 patients, ultrasound-guided biopsy in 82 patients and fluoroscopically controlled biopsy in 190 patients. The authors evaluated the accuracy of CT- and ultrasound-guided biopsy. Patients were followed for five years after the biopsy if the lesion was benign. If the results suggested malignancy, surgical exploration was performed at the time of the biopsy. CT-guided biopsy led to a diagnosis in 214 (87 percent) of the 245 patients who underwent this procedure. In th
