ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous
biopsy of abdominal lesions.Materials and MethodsThis retrospective, single-center study evaluated patients submitted to
CT-guided percutaneous biopsy of abdominal lesions at a cancer center,
between January 2014 and June 2015. The images and patient medical records
were reviewed using a standardized data collection form.ResultsWe included 225 procedures performed in 212 patients, of whom 143 (63.5%) had
a prior diagnosis of cancer. Of the 225 lesions biopsied, 88 (39.1%) had a
suspected primary origin and 137 (60.9%) were suspected metastatic lesions.
Complications occurred in only 14 (6.2%), the most common being self-limited
bleeding, which occurred in 12 (85.7%) of the 14. The occurrence of
complications was not found to be significantly associated with the lesion
location, age of the patient, presence of comorbidities, use of a
supplementary technique, vascularization pattern, or proximity of the lesion
to large vessels. The pathology findings were sufficient for making the
diagnosis in 202 cases (89.8%), and the diagnosis was consistent with the
clinical suspicion in 132 (58.6%).ConclusionThe procedure demonstrated a high (approximately 90%) rate of providing a
sufficient sample for the diagnosis and a low complication rate, the most
common complication being self-limiting bleeding.