Imaging-Guided Biopsy

Since Coley first described the method of percutaneous biopsy for the diagnosis of skeletal lesions in 1931, imaging-guided bone biopsy has advanced significantly. Unlike spinal metastases, primary tumors localized to a single location may offer the potential for curative resection. However, a spinal biopsy that is not performed correctly can compromise a patient’s survival. The high accuracy, lower costs, reduced complication rate and morbidity, and decreased risk of tumor seeding as opposed to open surgical biopsy have supported imaging-guided biopsy as the preferred mode of biopsy. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the various imaging-guided biopsy techniques and their technical considerations.