Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of bone lesions: a preliminary report

The purpose of this preliminary study was to determine the feasibility of ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy of suspected neoplastic lesions of bone. Ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy samples were obtained in 23 patients (22 dogs and one cat) with radiographic evidence of a destructive or destructive/productive bone lesion. The lesions were located in the appendicular skeleton in 20 patients and in the axial skeleton in three. Histopathology from tissue core biopsies and/or necropsy was not deemed necessary in 11 patients where ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy results were conclusive for neoplasia. A cytologic diagnosis from ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy was confirmed by histologic samples obtained at surgery or necropsy in five patients. In one of these five, ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy samples were diagnostic for sarcoma when tissue‐core biopsy was inconclusive. Both ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy and tissue core biopsy techniques were inconclusive in one patient. Ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy samples were nondiagnostic in five patients where a follow‐up histopathologic diagnosis of neoplasia was made. It was concluded that ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy of bone, if diagnostic, may help avoid the need for a tissue‐core biopsy in some instances. However, a negative ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy sample does not rule out neoplasia. A negative ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy should be followed by a tissue‐core biopsy and histologic analysis in all patients. Ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy seems to be a promising technique for the diagnosis of bone lesions.