Objectives and methods: Outpatient ultrasound guided liver biopsy is usually reserved for diffuse pathologies. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and results of 131 ultrasound guided biopsies of 128 abdominal lesions in 104 patients (69 men and 35 women, mean age: 59). Twenty four cysts were punctured (18 pancreatic cysts, 4 liver cysts and 2 unspecified abdominal cysts) and 104 solid tumors were biopsied (80 liver tumors, 9 pancreatic tumors, 5 portal vein obstructions, 4 unspecified abdominal tumors, 3 stomach tumors and 3 lymphadenopathies).
Results: The feasability of outpatient ultrasound guided biopsy was 100%. The etiology of 22 cysts (91.6%) and the histology of 100 solid tumors (96.2%) were determined. No side effects were observed, and all patients left the hospital 6 hours after this procedure. No later hospitalisations were necessary.
Conclusion: This study suggests that outpatient ultrasound guided needle aspiration or biopsy of liver tumors or other abdominal tumors can be performed. Thus, this procedure could be less expensive and more acceptable, while preserving reliability and safety.