Pediatric and Young Adult Image-Guided Percutaneous Bone Biopsy-A New Standard of Care?

Are you still doing open biopsy for pediatric bone tumors? Hi, I'm Doctor Sophia Schermerhorn from Cincinnati Children's, and this study asks whether image-guided percutaneous biopsy should be the new standard of care for pediatric and young adult bone and soft tissue masses. This single institution series evaluated 169 biopsies in 141 patients over a 10-year period. Nearly 90% of these were cornale biopsies. In all were performed with image guidance, most commonly CT, sometimes combined with fluoroscopy and ultrasound as well. All of these biopsies were performed by interventional radiologists. The diagnostic yield was impressive. 97.9% of biopsies were diagnostic, and only 3 patients required repeat biopsy. Additionally, complications were rare. There was just one patient with transient sciatic nerve paresis, which resolved. 0.7% complication rate. Importantly, this approach provided sufficient tissue, not just for histology, but from immunostains and molecular studies, which are increasingly essential for modern risk stratification and targeted therapy. The takeaway image-guided percutaneous biopsy is safe, accurate, and should be strongly considered the diagnostic modality of choice for pediatric bone and soft tissue tumors.