Document 0040
 DOCN  M95B0040
 TI    Stereotactic brain biopsies in AIDS patients: superior diagnostic yield
       with side-cutting needle than with cup forceps.
 DT    9511
 AU    Hirschfeld A; Pellegrin K; Rawanduzy A; Department of Neurosurgery, St.
       Vincent's Hospital, New York,; N.Y., USA.
 SO    Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 1994;63(1-4):150-3. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/95350482
 AB    Controversy still exists over the indicators for, and usefulness of,
       performing brain biopsies in AIDS patients with focal cerebral lesions.
       One of the sources of doubt is the relatively poor diagnostic yield in
       biopsying lesions in AIDS patients compared with patients who do not
       have AIDS. In our institution, we performed 25 CT-guided stereotactic
       biopsies using the Brown-Roberts-Wells system within a 1-year period. Of
       these, 11 were performed with a 2-mm-diameter cup forceps, and 14 with a
       10-mm-long x 2-mm-diameter side-cutting needle. Abnormal tissue was
       obtained from all patients, but, in the first group, 5 (45%) biopsies
       were nondiagnostic, and, in the second group, none (0%) were
       nondiagnostic. Of the diagnostic biopsies, there was roughly an equal
       proportion of lymphoma, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, and
       toxoplasmosis between the two techniques. It is surmised that the
       deciding factor leading to an enhanced diagnostic yield with the
       side-cutting needle was the larger amount of tissue obtained with this
       instrument.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*COMPLICATIONS/PATHOLOGY  Adult
       Biopsy/*INSTRUMENTATION  Biopsy, Needle/*INSTRUMENTATION
       Brain/*PATHOLOGY  Brain Diseases/PATHOLOGY  Comparative Study  Female
       Human  Lymphoma, AIDS-Related/PATHOLOGY  Male  Middle Age  Predictive
       Value of Tests  Retrospective Studies  Stereotaxic
       Techniques/*INSTRUMENTATION  Tomography, X-Ray Computed  JOURNAL ARTICLE

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