Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to identify the micro-mechanical characteristics that define biopsy performance in normal ex vivo animal organs.
Materials and methods
Three biopsy systems with differences of needle external diameter, tray height and effective tray length were assessed. Sampling was performed in porcine liver and kidneys with commercially labelled 14G, 16G and 18G, using 2-cm throw needle systems. Five samples were obtained per needle size and per organ, and the experiment was repeated twice for a total of 90 biopsy cores. Samples were analysed and compared in terms of macroscopic aspect, sample length, weight and tissue architecture.
Results
The system with the longest effective needle tray (system A) has shown significant superiority (p < 0.001) versus the other systems regarding the mean weight of tissue obtained for all needle sizes. Furthermore, the 14G needle of system A has shown superiority regarding the number of portal spaces and the 16G regarding the length of kidney fragments obtained.
Conclusion
The outcomes obtained with the different biopsy systems were not equal. The micro-mechanical characteristic that appears to influence the quantity and quality of the obtained tissue is the effective needle tray length and not the needle external diameter or the needle tray height. This information should be taken into account in the future design of biopsy needle systems, particularly when potentially used in the assessment of biomarkers and the characterisation of tumour micro-environment.
Key Points
• The amount of obtained tissue mass is not the same among percutaneous biopsy needle systems.
• There are different micro-mechanical characteristics that condition the amount of obtained tissue.
• The micro-mechanical characteristic that offers more tissue mass for the same calibre is the effective length of the needle tray.
Abbreviations
- ANOVA:
-
Analysis of variance
- DNA:
-
Deoxyribonucleic acid
- FNA:
-
Fine needle aspiration
- G:
-
Gauge
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- SPSS:
-
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
- UK:
-
United Kingdom
- USA:
-
United States of America
References
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr. Chara Tzavara for her contribution in the statistical analysis of the manuscript.
Funding
The authors state that this work has not received any funding.
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Guarantor
The scientific guarantor of this publication is Prof. Hendrik von Tengg-Kobligk.
Conflict of interest
The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.
Statistics and biometry
Dr. Chara Tzavara kindly provided statistical advice for this manuscript.
Informed consent
Approval from the institutional animal care committee was not required because the study was performed ex vivo.
Ethical approval
Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.
Methodology
• Prospective
• Experimental
• Performed at one institution
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Krokidis, M., Hungerbühler, M., Hewer, E. et al. Ex vivo performance comparison of three percutaneous biopsy needle systems. Eur Radiol 29, 4044–4049 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-018-5960-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-018-5960-7