Fine needle trucut biopsy of focal liver lesions : A new technique

A series of 77 ultrasound guided biopsies wereperformed in 72 patients with an ultrasonographicallydiagnosed focal liver lesion using a new semiautomatedbiopsy gun (Temno Biopty Gun) with a 21 G trucut needle. The rate of insufficient sampling wasvery low (1.5%), and more precise identification ofmalignant as well as benign lesions was possible whencompared with the results of other fine-needletechniques available in the literature. No highercomplication rate was noted. Our results show asensitivity of 88%, a specificity of 100%, and anoverall accuracy of 91% in identifying malignancy.Therefore we conclude that fine-needle trucut biopsy is asafe and accurate procedure combining the safety of thefine needle with the better sample quality of alarge-bore needle biopsy technique.