Percutaneous J-Needle Biopsy as an Outpatient Procedure in Diagnosis of Bone Tumors - A Hospital Based Study (Pathology)

INTRODUCTION Bone lesions are diverse and range in their natural history from the innocuous to rapidly fatal. This diversity makes tumor diagnosis and staging a critical process. The study has been designed to evaluate Jamshidi needle (J-needle) biopsy as a minimally invasive tool for rapid diagnosis of bone lesions which is aimed at initiating therapy that ensures survival while maintaining function of affected body parts. METHOD Present study is a prospective study where 56 patients with clinically and radiologically suspected bone tumors (from June 2017 to March 2018) were recruited. Biopsy specimens received in the Department of Pathology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital constituted the study material. RESULTS Out of 56 cases, 38 cases showed presence of tumor in biopsy material which included 11 cases of Giant Cell tumor of Bone, 7 cases of Osteosarcoma, 4 cases of Osteochondroma, 3 cases of Aneurysmal Bone Cyst, 2 cases each of Chondroblastoma, Chondrosarcoma and Metastases and 1 case each of Chondromyxofibroma and Fibrous Dysplasia. Most of the biopsy material in the present study was sampled from the long bones, particularly the femur and tibia. CONCLUSION In the present study, most of the bone tumors were found to be amenable to being diagnosed by a simple J-needle biopsy procedure in the outpatient department. Among the non-neoplastic lesions, most cases were of Granulomatous Inflammation.