Percutaneous Computed Tomography-Guided Coaxial Core Biopsy for the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Tumors

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine 2019-10, Vol.8 (10), p.1633
• Main Authors: Su, Yung-Yeh, Liu, Yi-Sheng, Chao, Ying-Jui, Chiang, Nai-Jung, Yen, Chia-Jui, Tsai, Hong-Ming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm8101633

Endoscopic, ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) with rapid on-site evaluation is recommended as a first choice in the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. Since EUS facilities and rapid on-site evaluation are not widely available, even in medical centers, an alternative for precise diagnoses of pancreatic tumor is warranted. The percutaneous computed tomography-guided, core needle biopsy (CT-CNB) is a commonly applicable method for biopsies. Our institute has developed a fat-transversing approach for pancreatic biopsies which is able to approach most tumors in the pancreas without penetrating organs or vessels. Herein, we report a 15-year experiment of pancreatic tumor coaxial CT-CNB in 420 patients. The success rate of tissue yielding by the technique was 99.3%. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 93.2%, 100%, and 93.4%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy could be increased to 96.4% in 2016–2018 (after the learning curve period). The overall complication rate was 8.6%. Neither life-threatening major complications, nor seeding through the biopsy tract, were observed. Our study supported the hypothesis that CT-CNB could be a complementary option for diagnostic tissue acquisition in patients with unresectable or metastatic pancreatic tumors when EUS-TA is either unsuitable or unavailable.