Biopsies are valuable diagnostic tools, especially in determining the malignancy of suspicious lumps or masses. Image-guided biopsies ensure accuracy and minimize tissue damage, and are a specialty at IYA Medical in Scottsdale, Arizona. Ayad Agha, DO, has exceptional experience in using imaging technologies like ultrasound and MRI to perform biopsies. Call IYA Medical today to find out more or book an appointment at 480-750-8130.
What is an Image-guided Biopsy?
An image-guided biopsy is a technique IYA Medical specialists use to take tissue samples for analysis.
If you have symptoms of certain diseases, or if there’s no clear cause for your symptoms, a biopsy can reveal what the problem is and enable you to receive the correct treatment.
It’s possible to insert a surgical instrument into your body to cut out a small piece of tissue without using imaging, but this could cause more damage than is necessary and could be risky in many areas.
With image guidance, your provider at IYA Medical can see the inside of your body in real-time and guide the extraction tool to the precise location for the biopsy.
What types of Image-Guided Biopsies are there?
There are several different types of image-guided biopsy, including:
- Fine-needle aspiration biopsy — Aspiration involves extracting fluid. Your provider inserts a very thin needle into a cyst or other type of fluid-filled growth, viewing the procedure using ultrasound.
- Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy — Your provider again uses ultrasound to guide a needle into your body, but this time into a solid mass rather than a fluid. The core is a small cylinder of material taken for testing.
- MRI-guided biopsy — This biopsy uses magnetic resonance imaging to guide a vacuum core biopsy. A vacuum core biopsy uses suction to remove the tissue sample. It is useful when an anomaly can only be seen on an MRI.
Image-guided biopsies take place under local anesthetic, so you’re awake during the procedure, but you won’t feel any pain.
Why might I need an Image-Guided Biopsy?
There are numerous reasons why you might need to undergo an image-guided biopsy. Biopsies are frequently used to test tissue samples for cancer cells but could be useful in diagnosing other conditions, particularly liver problems like chronic liver disease and liver transplant rejection.
An image-guided biopsy can confirm the nature of a suspicious growth and its characteristics. For example, fine needle aspiration enables your provider to make an accurate diagnosis of thyroid nodules.
These are often benign but may be cancerous, and image guidance can indicate which nodules are likely to be cancerous before taking a biopsy.
An image-guided biopsy can also be useful in confirming metastasis. Metastasis is what happens when the primary (original) tumor starts to spread. While this can affect nearby organs and tissues, cancers can also metastasize by traveling through the blood to an entirely different part of your body.
A biopsy of any mass found can tell your provider if it’s the primary tumor or not. If it isn’t, it means there’s primary cancer elsewhere that needs locating.
If you have any concerns about experiencing an image-guided biopsy, IYA Medical can put your mind at rest.