Safety and efficiency of performing transvaginal ultrasound-guided tru-cut biopsy for pelvic masses

To assess the safety, adequacy and accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound-guided tru-cut biopsy of pelvic masses. We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive women who underwent transvaginal ultrasound-guided tru-cut biopsies between June 2014 and October 2018 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University Hospitals Leuven. Main indications for tru-cut biopsy were tissue collection for diagnosis of pelvic tumors in cases of suspected disseminated disease or recurrence, or tissue banking for research purposes. Data about adverse events occurring within 2 weeks of the procedure (including bleeding, blood transfusion, hospital admission, urgent surgery, pelvic infection or death) were extracted from electronic medical records. Tissue samples were recorded as adequate if tumor identification and immunohistochemistry were possible. Accuracy was defined in patients who underwent surgery as the agreement between histology after tru-cut biopsy and final histology. 176 tru-cut biopsies were performed in 155 patients. Procedure related events were limited to moderate blood loss (95%. Comparing final histology, the diagnostic accuracy of the tru-cut biopsies was 97.2%. Transvaginal tru-cut biopsy for diagnosis of pelvic masses is a safe procedure. To allow an adequate and accurate diagnosis, we advise taking at least 2 core biopsies. •Transvaginal tru-cut biopsy of pelvic masses is a safe procedure to perform with high adequacy.•Multiple biopsies are recommended to optimize the tissue yield for histological diagnosis.•The main indication for tru-cut biopsy is suspected disseminated disease or recurrence of malignant conditions.