Purpose: This paper describes our preliminary experience with percutaneous bone biopsy under XperGuide conebeam computed tomography (CBCT) guidance.
Materials and methods: Seventeen patients (11 men and 6 women; mean age 57.8; range 17-81) with 17 bone lesions underwent biopsy with XperGuide CBCT (Philips Medical System, Best, The Netherlands). The mean diameter of the lesions was 2.32 cm (range 1-8 cm). Technical success (defined as the correct positioning of the needle within the lesion), diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were evaluated. Complication rate was also recorded.
Results: The technical success rate was 100%. In 15 patients, a sample of adequate material for histopathological analysis to yield a definitive diagnosis was obtained; in two patients, the sample was inadequate for a definitive diagnosis. In one of these two cases, the lesion was closely followed up for 1 year, during which it remained stable in size, and as a result, it was considered a false positive; the other was considered a false negative. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 94.12%, 90.91% and 100%, respectively. No major complications were recorded; only one patient had slight bleeding, with a consequent small haematoma, which reabsorbed in about 15 days.
Conclusions: Bone biopsy under XperGuide CBCT guidance can be considered accurate as a result of the combination of real-time needle orientation and spatial resolution of CT fluoroscopy. Moreover, our results are encouraging in terms of complication rate, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and reduction of CT workload.