MRI only detected lesions: Can contrast enhanced mammography guided biopsy be an alternative method: Initial clinical findings.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze our initial findings regarding CEM-guided stereotactic vacuum-assisted biopsy for MRI-only detected lesions and compare biopsy times by MRI-guided biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, CEM-guided biopsies of MRI-only detected breast lesions from December 2021 to June 2023were included. Patient demographics, breast density, lesion size, background parenchymal enhancement on CEM, lesion positioning, procedure duration, and number of scout views were documented. Initially, seven patients had CEM imaging before biopsy; for later cases, CEM scout views were used for simultaneous lesion depiction and targeting. RESULTS: Two cases were excluded from the initial 28 patients with 29 lesions resulting in a total of 27 lesions in 26 women (mean age:44.96 years). Lesion sizes ranged from 4.5 to 41 mm, with two as masses and the remaining as non-mass enhancements. Histopathological results identified nine malignancies (33.3 %, 9/27), including invasive cancers (55.6 %, 5/9) and DCIS (44.4 %, 4/9). The biopsy PPV rate was 33.3 %. Benign lesions comprised 66.7 %, with 22.2 % high-risk lesions. The biopsy success rate was 93.1 % (27/29), and minor complications occurred in seven cases (25.9 %, 7/27), mainly small hematomas and one vasovagal reaction (3.7 %, 1/27). Median number of scout views required was 2, with no significant differences between cases with or without prior CEM (P = 0.8). Median duration time for biopsy was 14 min, significantly shorter than MRI-guided bx at the same institution (P < 0.001) by 24 min with predominantly upright positioning of the patient (88.9 %) and horizontal approach of the needle (92.6 %). CONCLUSION: This study showed that CEM-guided biopsy is a feasible and safe alternative method and a faster solution for MRI-only detected enhancing lesions and can be accurately performed without the need for prior CEM imaging.

Biopsy Techniques for Musculoskeletal Tumors: Basic Principles and Specialized Techniques.

Biopsy is a pivotal component in the diagnostic process of bone and soft tissue tumors. The objective is to obtain adequate tissue without compromising local tumor dissemination and the patient's survival. This review explores contemporary principles and practices in musculoskeletal biopsies, emphasizing the critical role of diagnostic accuracy while also delving into the evolving landscape of liquid biopsies as a promising alternative in the field. A thorough literature search was done in PubMed and Google Scholar as well as in physical books in libraries to summarize the available biopsy techniques for musculoskeletal tumors, discuss the available methods, risk factors, and complications, and to emphasize the challenges related to biopsies in oncology. Research articles that studied the basic principles and specialized techniques of biopsy techniques in tumor patients were deemed eligible. Their advantages and disadvantages, technical and pathophysiological mechanisms, and possible risks and complications were reviewed, summarized, and discussed. An inadequately executed biopsy may hinder diagnosis and subsequently impact treatment outcomes. All lesions should be approached with a presumption of malignancy until proven otherwise. Liquid biopsies have emerged as a potent non-invasive tool for analyzing tumor phenotype, progression, and drug resistance and guiding treatment decisions in bone sarcomas and metastases. Despite advancements, several barriers remain in biopsies, including challenges related to costs, scalability, reproducibility, and isolation methods. It is paramount that orthopedic oncologists work together with radiologists and pathologists to enhance diagnosis, patient outcomes, and healthcare costs.

Hemorrhagic Complications Following Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy: A Prospective Patient-Centered Study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the clinical and imaging factors associated with hemorrhagic complications and patient discomfort following ultrasound (US)-guided breast biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 94 patients who were referred to our hospital between June 2022 and December 2022 for US-guided breast biopsy. After obtaining informed consent, two breast radiologists independently performed US-guided breast biopsy and evaluated the imaging findings. A hemorrhagic complication was defined as the presence of bleeding or hematoma on US. The patients rated symptoms of pain, febrile sensation, swelling at the biopsy site, and dyspnea immediately, 20 minutes, and 2 weeks after the procedure on a visual analog scale, with 0 for none and 10 for the most severe symptoms. Additional details recorded included those of nausea, vomiting, bleeding, bruising, and overall satisfaction score. We compared the clinical symptoms, imaging characteristics, and procedural features between patients with and those without hemorrhagic complications. RESULTS: Of 94 patients, 7 (7%) developed hemorrhagic complications, while 87 (93%) did not. The complication resolved with 20 minutes of manual compression, and no further intervention was required. Vascularity on Doppler examination (P = 0.008), needle type (P = 0.043), and lesion location (P < 0.001) were significantly different between the groups. Patients with hemorrhagic complications reported more frequent nausea or vomiting than those without hemorrhagic complications (29% [2/7] vs. 2% [2/87], respectively; P = 0.027). The overall satisfaction scores did not differ between the two groups (P = 0.396). After 2 weeks, all symptoms subsided, except bruising (50% 2/4 in the complication group and 25% [16/65] in the no-complication group). CONCLUSION: US-guided breast biopsy is a safe procedure with a low complication rate. Radiologists should be aware of hemorrhagic complications, patient discomfort, and overall satisfaction related to this procedure.

CT-guided pretreatment biopsy diagnosis in patients with thymic epithelial tumours: diagnostic accuracy and risk of seeding.

AIM: To investigate the diagnostic performance of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) for thymic epithelial tumours (TETs) and the complication rate after PTNB including seeding after PTNB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study identified PTNBs for anterior mediastinal lesions between May 2007 and September 2021. The diagnostic performance for TETs and complications were investigated. The concordance of the histological grades of TETs between PTNB and surgery was evaluated. The factors associated with pleural seeding after PTNB were determined using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 387 PTNBs, 235 PTNBs from 225 patients diagnosed as TETs (124 thymomas and 101 thymic carcinomas) and 150 PTNBs from 133 patients diagnosed as other than TETs were included. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for TETs were 89.4% (210/235), 100% (210/210), and 93.5% (360/385), respectively, with an immediate complication rate of 4.4% (17/385). The concordance rate of the histological grades between PTNB and surgery was 73.3% (77/105) after excluding uncategorised types of thymomas. During follow-up after PTNB (median duration, 38.8 months; range, 0.3-164.6 months), no tract seeding was observed. Pleural seeding was observed in 26 patients. Thymic carcinoma (hazard ratio [HR], 5.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.07-17.08; p=0.001) and incomplete resection (HR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.20-9.02; p=0.02) were associated with pleural seeding, while the biopsy approach type (transpleural versus parasternal) was not associated (p=0.12). CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment biopsy for TETs was accurate and safe and may be considered for diagnosing TETs, particularly when the diagnosis is challenging and histological diagnosis is mandatory.

Quantitative ultrasound parameters from scattering and propagation may reduce the biopsy rate for breast tumor.

Breast cancer has become the most common cancer worldwide, and early screening improves the patient's survival rate significantly. Although pathology with needle-based biopsy is the gold standard for breast cancer diagnosis, it is invasive, painful, and expensive. Meanwhile it makes patients suffer from misplacement of the needle, resulting in misdiagnosis and further assessment. Ultrasound imaging is non-invasive and real-time, however, benign and malignant tumors are hard to differentiate in grayscale B-mode images. We hypothesis that breast tumors exhibit characteristic properties, which generates distinctive spectral patterns not only in scattering, but also during propagation. In this paper, we propose a breast tumor classification method that evaluates the spectral pattern of the tissues both inside the tumor and beneath it. First, quantitative ultrasonic parameters of these spectral patterns were calculated as the representation of the corresponding tissues. Second, parameters were classified by the K-Nearest Neighbor machine learning model. This method was verified with an open access dataset as a reference, and applied to our own dataset to evaluate the potential for tumors assessment. With both datasets, the proposed method demonstrates accurate classification of the tumors, which potentially makes it unnecessary for certain patients to take the biopsy, reducing the rate of the painful and expensive procedure.

CT-Guided Trans-osseous Biopsy: Experience in 24 Patients.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of computed tomography-guided trans-osseous biopsies in deep-seated lesions and report encountered complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed which included twenty-four patients with pathologic medical history and lesions non-accessible by common approaches. Exclusion criteria include patients who could be biopsied without trans-osseous access, as for example procedures aided with hydro- or pneumo-dissection. The population studied included 13 females (54.2%) and the overall average age was 64.5 (IIQ 43-69). The procedures were carried out through the following bones: sternum (n = 6), vertebral (n = 5), iliac (n = 5), scapula (n = 3), rib (n = 2), sacral (n = 2), and pubis (n = 1). RESULTS: The efficiency for these procedures was 87.5%, while 8.33% of them were non-diagnostic and 4.17% were inconclusive due to vital risk during the procedure. CONCLUSION: Computed tomography-guided trans-osseous biopsy resulted in a safe and effective technique for those lesions blocked by vital structures or apparently directly inaccessible.

Factors affecting the success of CT-guided core biopsy of musculoskeletal lesions with a 13-G needle.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of CT-guided bone core biopsy and investigate factors that affect diagnostic yield and biopsy outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The single-centre retrospective analysis included 447 patients who had CT-guided core biopsy with a 13-G needle (Bonopty®) from January 2016 to December 2021. Histological results or ≥ 6 months of clinical and radiological follow-up served as outcome references. A successful biopsy was classified as "diagnostic" when a definitive diagnosis was made and "adequate" when only the malignant or benign nature of the tumour could be determined. Biopsies were "nondiagnostic" when the nature of the lesion could not be determined. The occult lesions were defined as not seen on CT but visible on other modalities. RESULTS: In 275 (62%) females and 172 (38%) males, the overall success rate was 85% (383 biopsies), with 314 (70%) diagnostic biopsies and 69 (15%) adequate biopsies. There was no relationship between biopsy success and the localisation of the lesion, length of biopsy material, or number of biopsy attempts. The lesions' nature had a statistically significant effect on biopsy success with lytic and mixed lesions having the highest success rate. Occult lesions had the lowest success rate. CONCLUSION: CT-guided bone core biopsy is an effective method in the workup of musculoskeletal diseases with the highest success rate in lytic and mixed lesions. No apparent relationship was found between biopsy success and biopsy length, number of attempts, or localisation of the lesion.

In-Silico Analysis of Optimal Configurations for Rotational Bioinspired Bone Marrow Biopsy Needle Designs: An ANN Approach.

Medical needle innovations have utilized rotating motion to enhance tissue-cutting capabilities, reducing cutting force and improving clinical outcomes. This study analyzes the effects of six essential factors on insertion and extraction forces during bone marrow biopsy (BMB) procedures. The study uses Taguchi's L32 orthogonal array and numerically simulates the BMB process using the Lagrangian surface-based method on a three-dimensional (3D) heterogeneous Finite Element (FE) model of the human iliac crest. The study evaluates cutting forces in needle insertion and extraction using uni-directional (360° rotation) and bidirectional (180° clock and anti-clock rotation) bioinspired BMB needles. This work aims to create an AI tool that assists researchers and clinicians in selecting the most suitable and safe design parameters for a bio-inspired barbed biopsy needle. An efficient Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been developed for easy use and seamless interaction with the AI tool. With a remarkable accuracy rate exceeding 98%, the tool's predictions hold significant value in facilitating the development of environmentally conscious biopsy needles. The tool demonstrates significantly higher efficiency compared to Abaqus, rendering it a valuable asset for researchers and clinicians engaged in bio-inspired biopsy needle development.

Water isolation technique combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound guided puncture biopsy of pancreatic mass in 3 cases.

In many patients with pancreatic cancer the definite pathological diagnosis is limited due to the lack of safe needle entry routes, the high risk of conventional ultrasound-guided puncture and the low positive rate of single needle. To solve the situations in which there are no safe path for pancreatic biopsy, we used water isolation technology combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound to perform puncture biopsy in 3 patients with pancreatic mass occupying under the guidance of coaxial needle in this study and remarkable results were achieved. The water isolation technique was used to avoid the damage to theimportant organs in front of the occupying area.

Quick, Safe, Effective: Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Liver Biopsy in the Pediatric Patient.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous liver biopsy has proven to be a valuable tool in the workup of pediatric acute liver failure and the management of post-transplant rejection. However, consensus regarding pre-procedure laboratory values and post-procedure monitoring is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the incidence of complications, procedural time, and specimen adequacy for percutaneous liver biopsy in the pediatric patient. METHODS: Retrospective review of percutaneous liver biopsies at a single institution was performed for a 5-year span. Procedural notes and anesthesia records were sampled for patient weight and procedural factors across a continuous 6-month period, as well as for the subgroup of patients under 24 months of age. A representative continuous subset of pathology reports comprising 376 patients were reviewed for estimation of specimen adequacy. RESULTS: Eight hundred and sixty-seven ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsies were performed in a 5-year period, 450 of which were in the post-transplant setting with about a 3:1 ratio of split: whole liver transplant. Patient ages ranged from 1 month to 21 years old, with weight ranging from 2.7 to 125 kg. Of the 376 pathology reports available, none were found to be inadequate for evaluation. Two major complications occurred, both of which were biliary leaks in the setting split-liver transplant. There were no incidences of post-procedure hemorrhage. Of the sample reviewed, mean "skin-to-skin" procedure time was under 8.5 min (median of 7 min). Solely among transplant patients, biopsies for split livers averaged 9.2 min, biopsies for whole livers averaged 6.2 min (two-tailed independent t test, p = 0.0426). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound guided percutaneous liver biopsy is fast, useful, and safe in pediatric patients on an outpatient basis with same day discharge. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

A brief mind-body intervention to reduce pain and anxiety during prostate needle biopsy: a clinically integrated randomized controlled trial with 2-staged consent.

OBJECTIVES: Many patients experience pain, anxiety, and discomfort with prostate biopsy, which may discourage enrollment in active surveillance programs or follow-up biopsy. Guided meditation can significantly reduce pain and anxiety during percutaneous biopsy. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief mind-body intervention on patient-reported outcomes after prostate biopsy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We performed a clinically-integrated randomized controlled trial of a brief mind-body intervention during biopsy compared to usual care at a single tertiary care center from 2018 to 2022. All patients offered transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy in the clinic with local anesthesia were eligible for enrollment. This clinically integrated trial was conducted simultaneously with a randomized controlled trial of 1-stage and 2-stage consent. The primary outcome was patient-reported pain, anxiety, discomfort, and tolerability on a visual-analog scale (0-10). A 15% improvement was prespecified as clinically relevant. We compared the proportion of men in each arm reporting a severe score (7-10) on any of the 4 scales using Fisher's exact test and then compared means for each scale separately using ANCOVA with randomization stratum (first vs. prior biopsy) as a covariate. RESULTS: Of 263 eligible patients, 238 enrolled (119 per arm). One hundred seventy-two (72%) enrolled with 2-stage consent. A total of 37/94 (39%) and 38/102 (37%) patients randomized to usual care and intervention, respectively, reported severe scores in any of the 4 domains, a difference of 2.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] -13, 17%, P = 0.8). There was no evidence of a difference in mean postbiopsy anxiety (P = 0.3), discomfort (P = 0.09), pain (P = 0.4) or tolerability scores (P = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: A clinically meaningful benefit for this brief mind-body intervention during prostate biopsy is unlikely. Robust patient enrollment is feasible using 2-stage consent.

Tumor seeding following CT- guided transthoracic needle biopsy in lung cancer. A case report.

As a result of advances in the treatment of lung cancer, the life expectancy of lung cancer patients has improved significantly, but it remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. For decades, most of the initial tumor biopsies have been obtained by bronchoscopy or computed tomography (CT)-guided transthoracic lung biopsy without concerning reports of cancer seeding following the latter. In this case report we discuss the patient history of a 56-year old women with low-differentiated squamous cell lung cancer who developed tumor seeding following a CT-guided transthoracic biopsy 11 months after the intervention. This is put into context reviewing former and current literature.

[Application of Rapid HE Staining in Cytological Rapid On-site Evaluation of 
Peripheral Lung Cancer Needle Biopsy].

BACKGROUND: Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) is a technique used for simultaneous evaluation of biopsy specimens through rapid cytology staining. Diff-Quik (DQ) staining is the most commonly employed method for cytological rapid on-site evaluation (C-ROSE). However, the utilization of DQ staining for on-site cytological interpretation remains uncommon among pathologists in China, posing challenges to the implementation of C-ROSE. This study aims to assess the application of rapid hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and DQ staining for C-ROSE during percutaneous needle biopsy of peripheral lung cancer and evaluate the value of rapid HE staining in C-ROSE. METHODS: Computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsies were conducted on 300 patients diagnosed with peripheral lung cancer. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups for C-ROSE using either rapid HE staining or DQ staining, and subsequently the two methods were compared and evaluated. RESULTS: The concordance rate between C-ROSE and histopathological diagnosis was 96.7%. The median staining time for rapid HE staining was 160 s, while that for DQ staining was 120 s, representing a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.001). However, there were no significant differences observed in terms of total biopsy time, concordance rate with histopathology, cytology specimen peeling rate, and incidence of serious adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both staining methods comply with C-ROSE criteria in the biopsy setting of peripheral lung cancer. Rapid HE staining is more aligned with domestic clinical requirements and holds potential for further promotion and adoption in C-ROSE.

Computed Tomography-Guided Tru-Cut Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Lung Lesions; Our Clinical Experience.

INTRODUCTION: CT-guided tru-cut biopsy, which is less invasive and cost-effective, is an important diagnostic tool with high accuracy in lesions located peripherally in the lung. In this article, CT-guided tru-cut biopsy experiences of thoracic surgeons are shared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT-guided tru-cut biopsy was performed on 200 patients with suspected lung lesions in the thoracic surgery clinic. Diagnostic rates of biopsies, complications, factors affecting the development of complications, and complication management were examined. RESULTS: The diagnostic rate of the biopsies was 88%. Pneumothorax developed in 19.5% and hemothorax in 1% after the procedure. There was a significant relationship between mass dimensions and total complication rates (p=0.017). The relationship between the distance among the pleura and the mass and the development of complications was significant (p<0.001). The relationship between the number of biopsies and the development of pneumothorax was significant (p=0.011). The relationship between the size of the mass and the development of pneumothorax was significant (p=0.011). In univariate binary logistic regression analysis, a significant correlation was found between the size of the mass and the development of total complications (odds ratio (OR)=0.356 (95% CI: (0.146-0.868), (p=0.023)). DISCUSSION: In the diagnosis of lung lesions, CT-guided tru-cut biopsy is an effective diagnostic tool with high diagnostic power, with its less invasiveness, and lower cost. The increase in the lung parenchyma distance passed with the biopsy needle increased the likelihood of complications most significantly. The size of the mass and the number of biopsies also had significant effects on the development of complications.

Liver Biopsy: To Do or Not to Do - A Single-Center Study.

INTRODUCTION: A variety of liver disorders are associated with characteristic histopathological findings that help in their diagnosis and treatment. However, percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) is prone to limitations and complications. We evaluated all PLBs done in our hospital in a 13-year period, aiming to assess PLB's utility and complications. METHODS: All PLBs conducted in an internal medicine department of a tertiary university hospital in Athens, Greece, during a 13-year period were reviewed. Recorded data included demographic characteristics, laboratory results acquired on biopsy day, indication for liver biopsy, and occurrence of side effects. All patients were followed for 1 month post-hospital discharge for possible PLB-related complications. RESULTS: A total of 261 patients underwent PLB during the study period. The commonest indication of PLB was investigation of liver mass, followed by transaminasemia. PLB assisted in setting a diagnosis in 218 patients and was unhelpful in only 43, in 14 of them due to inadequate or inappropriate biopsy specimen. Complications attributable to PLB were rare, with 10 patients exhibiting pain, either at biopsy site or in the right shoulder, and 3 having bleeding episodes; no deaths were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that PLB is still a powerful diagnostic tool in everyday practice, provided it is used when indicated.

Machine-Learned Algorithms to Predict the Risk of Pneumothorax Requiring Chest Tube Placement after Lung Biopsy.

PURPOSE: To develop a machine-learned algorithm to predict the risk of postlung biopsy pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement (CTP) to facilitate preprocedural decision making, optimize patient care, and improve resource allocation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study collected clinical and imaging features of biopsy samples obtained from patients with lung nodule biopsy and included information from 59 procedures resulting in pneumothorax requiring CTP and randomly selected 67 procedures without CTP (convenience sample). The data were divided into 70 and 30 as training and testing sets, respectively. Conventional machine-learned binary classifiers were explored with preprocedural imaging and clinical data as input features and CTP as the output. RESULTS: There was no single pathognomonic imaging or predictive clinical feature. For the independent test set under the high-specificity mode, a decision tree, logistic regression, and Naïve Bayes classifier achieved accuracies of identifying CTP at 0.79, 0.93, and 0.89 and area under receiver operating curves (AUROCs) of 0.68, 0.76, and 0.82, respectively. Under high-sensitivity mode, a decision tree, logistic regression, and Naïve Bayes achieved accuracies of identifying CTP of 0.60, 0.45, and 0.60 with AUROCs of 0.71, 0.81, and 0.82, respectively. High importance features included lesion character, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lesion depth, and age. A coarse decision tree requiring 4 inputs achieved comparable performance as other methods and previous machine learning prediction studies. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the possibility of predicting pneumothorax requiring CTP after biopsy based on an automated decision support, reliant on readily available preprocedural information.

Glomeruli Count and Arterial Injury in Real-Time Ultrasound-Guided Needle Kidney Biopsy Specimens: Adequacy of Three Approaches for Pig Kidneys.

INTRODUCTION: Real-time ultrasound-guided percutaneous kidney biopsy is essential for diagnosis and treatment planning; nonetheless, the optimal puncture approach has yet to be established. In vivo, performing different approaches on the same patient at once is not possible. This study aimed to determine the impact of different approaches on the number of obtained glomeruli and their potential to cause arterial injury using pig kidneys, which are similar to humans. METHODS: A total of 120 pig kidneys (60 right-sided kidneys and 60 left-sided kidneys) for research were obtained from a slaughterhouse. The specimens were collected from the lower pole on the sagittal plane of the kidney using three different approaches on the same kidney: caudocranial approach, caudal to cranial; craniocaudal approach, cranial to caudal; and vertical approach, through the surface cortex. Five blinded pediatric nephrologists assessed the number of glomeruli and arterial injuries. RESULTS: Overall, 360 specimens were collected from the kidneys through biopsy using a 16-gauge needle (mean vertical kidney length, 11.2 ± 0.7 cm; mean depth, 3.47 ± 0.23 cm). No significant difference in the incidence of arterial injury was observed between the three approaches (caudocranial vs. craniocaudal vs. vertical approaches: 78% vs. 87% vs. 87%, p = 0.14). In contrast, the vertical approach retrieved significantly more glomeruli than the caudocranial and craniocaudal approaches (caudocranial approach: 7.5 ± 2.8, craniocaudal approach: 7.8 ± 2.7, and vertical approach: 8.9 ± 3.3, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Considering its efficacy and safety profile, the vertical approach may be preferred, as more glomeruli can be obtained without increasing the incidence of arterial injury. Although the results cannot be directly extrapolated to humans due to the differences between species, they still offer important insights into the characteristics of each approach.

B3 lesions of the breast and cancer risk. A single-centre experience.

BACKGROUND: Breast lesions of uncertain malignant potential, also known as B3 lesions, represent a heterogeneous group of tumors with variable malignancy risk. Surgical excision should be considered depending on clinical, radiological and histological features, family history and following informed consent. The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the positive predictive value (PPV) of diagnosis of malignancy in surgically excised B3 lesions in order to identify possible predictive upgrade criteria. We mainly focused on disclosing the concordance rate between tissue biopsy and final surgical pathology and correlation between radiology and pathology. METHODS: Between January 2018 and December 2021, 83 patients undergoing ultrasound guided tru-cut needle biopsy or VABB with a B3 diagnosis and surgical excision following multidisciplinary discussion were retrospectively reviewed in our Breast Unit. RESULTS: Out of a total of 83 cases with a B3 diagnosis before surgery, atypical ductal hyperplasia accounted for 29/83 cases(34.93%) and the most part of patients presented nodular lesions (n = 34/83, 40.96%). Among the 15 cases of malignancy detected after surgery, micro calcifications were registered in 53.3% of patients on mammography (n = 8/15). CONCLUSION: We assessed the correlation between radiological and pathological criteria in order to guide risk stratification and ensure adequate patient management. Correspondence between histological diagnosis, imaging and type of diagnostic biopsy were evaluated. No statistically significant predictors were identified for the parameters assessed in our study. KEY WORDS: B3 Breast Lesions, Lesions of Uncertains Malignant Potential, Mammografic Distortion, Screen Detected Breast Lesion.

Performance of Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Versus Percutaneous Liver Biopsy in Diagnosing Stage 3-4 Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous liver biopsy (P-bx) is the gold standard for diagnosing advanced fibrosis. Despite the proven technical feasibility of EUS-guided liver bx (EUS-bx) as a novel alternative way of liver biopsy, the clinical applicability remains to be determined. AIMS: The primary aim of this study is to evaluate if EUS-bx, compared to P-bx, can effectively and safely obtain adequate specimen and accurately predict hepatic fibrosis. METHODS: This is a single center, retrospective chart review among patients with liver diseases at a tertiary endoscopy center from February 2011 to March 2020. We assessed the EUS-bx versus P-bx outcomes by success rate, performance, and safety profile. The primary outcome was the association between EUS-bx clinical variables and the presence of histologic liver fibrosis stage ≥ 3. The secondary outcomes were the associations between EUS-bx and variables indicative of fibrosis. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients underwent EUS-bx; and 59, P-bx. All EUS-bx procedures were successfully completed. All 56/56 (100%) of EUS-bx vs. 50/52 (96.2%) P-bx were considered adequate samples. Tissue lengths were significantly longer in the EUS-bx cohort (p < 0.0001) with a trend towards a greater number of portal tracts. 46/56 (82.1%) cases of EUS-bx vs. 32/52 (61.5%) of P-bx had > 10 portal tracts; 21/56 (37.5%) cases of EUS-bx vs. 14/52 (26.9%) of P-bx had > 15 portal tracts. There were 6 (10.2%) EUS-bx vs. 1 (1.7%) P-bx related complication leading to a phone call (p = 0.061). CONCLUSIONS: EUS-bx can safely performed and accurately predict liver fibrosis stage as the standard P-bx without being influenced by procedure-related factors.