Histological diagnosis of oral lesions with cutting needle biopsy: a pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cutting needle biopsy in the diagnosis of solid oral lesions. The biopsies were carried out on seven patients who presented with solid oral lesions with sizes ranging from 2 to 6 cm. Specimens were obtained from each lesion before conventional biopsies using a cutting needle with 18-gauge x 9 cm (MD TECH, Gainesville, FL, USA). A total of 64 specimens processed by hematoxylin-eosin staining method, were obtained. Afterwards, the analysis was performed by an oral pathologist, in two different stages, with and without the clinical history of each lesion. Then, these answers were compared with the final histological diagnosis. Results presented by the descriptive analysis showed that the correct diagnosis using cutting needle biopsy without the clinical history of lesions was registered in 37.5% of cases, while with the clinical history in 76.6%. Despite the promising results as a potential technique for biopsies and histological diagnosis of oral lesions, the cutting needle biopsy should be analyzed carefully in those cases.