Clinical complications in renal biopsy using two different needle gauges: The impact of large hematomas, a random clinical trial study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare complications of ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal biopsy using two needle gauges (16-G and 18-G). METHODS: A total of 238 individuals with renal biopsy indication were included and randomly separated into two groups: ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal biopsy procedure carried out with a 16-G or 18-G needle. The adequacy of biopsy samples and post-procedure complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The procedures carried out with a 16-G needle collected fragments with a mean of 22.1 ± 10.8 glomeruli, and those carried out with an 18-G needle had a mean of 17.5 ± 9.4 glomeruli. Patients submitted to renal biopsies with a 16-G needle had a higher likelihood of having a complication (OR5.1, 95% CI 1.7-15.4, P = 0.001). The overall mean volume of post-biopsy hematoma in patients with complications was significantly larger than those without complications (44 ± 56.1 mL vs 5.9 ± 6.6 mL; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Renal biopsies carried out by ultrasonography using an 18-G needle provide adequate histological analysis, showing a lower amount of glomeruli but with similar clinical quality as a 16-G needle. Furthermore, it is associated with a lower risk of procedure-related complications.

Mixed laryngocele mimicking thyroid nodule.

Laryngocele is defined as a dilation of the laryngeal saccule forming an air sac. Some differential diagnoses for laryngocele have been reported. The aim of the present paper was to describe a case of a patient referred for the evaluation a suspected thyroid nodule that was subsequently diagnosed as a mixed laryngocele. A 31-year-old male with no clinical manifestations was referred by an endocrinologist to undergo Doppler ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration biopsy due to a preliminary ultrasonographic diagnosis of a nodule apparently in the thyroid. The diagnosis of laryngocele was raised considering the cytopathological analysis and imaging exam. Computed tomography of the neck confirmed this hypothesis. The patient was counseled to consult a surgeon, but, up to the end of this report, continued asymptomatic and in follow-up. We report a mixed laryngocele with different clinical behavior, showing that laryngocele may appear to be another entity and drawing the attention of clinicians to imaging similarities.