Hello All

Amadeus asked me """What Is A Biopsy?""" and I felt my reply would be more acessible in this section.
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A biopsy is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of a piece of the suspicious tissue; usually part of the lining tissue (mucosa) of the mouth or the underlying bone that has demonstrated possible involvement through the examination process. Fortunately, most biopsies can be carried out in the office setting with Novocain or Lidocaine (local anesthesia) . Upon completion of the biopsy, the harvested piece of tissue, or specimen, is sent to a pathology laboratory for examination where the tissue is handled by a qualified specialist :geek: in oral pathology .
The pathologist will need to process the tissue and then examine the specimen under a microscope. In the majority of cases this tissue processing and examination by the pathologist will require approximately ten days. Great care is taken to insure and provide an accurate diagnosis. Upon completing the tissue examination, the pathologist will send, fax or telephone a report to your surgeon for review. Any questions that the surgeon may have about the report is then discussed with the pathologist prior to the patient returning to the office.
The report provided to the surgeon by the pathologist not only helps in establishing a diagnosis, but enables him to develop a treatment plan that specifically addresses the type of lesion identified in the diagnosis. Small lesions may have been removed in their entirety during the biopsy while larger lesions may have had only a small portion removed, thereby, necessitating additional surgery. In addition, it may have been necessary to place sutures (stitches) at the biopsy site which will need to be removed at a future appointment. In any case, the patient is required to return to the office to review the results of the biopsy procedure and discuss the need for future treatment if that is deemed necessary.
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We await Amadeus's experience today!

Best wishes
Vinod :coffee:

Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) - Biopsy of Lymph Nodes:

quote:

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For enlarged lymph nodes, needle biopsy (fine needle aspiration, or FNA) may be performed. In needle biopsy, a needle is injected into an enlarged lymph node and cells are aspirated (suctioned) out. Examination of these cells under a microscope can often determine the cause of the mass. It should be noted that fine needle aspiration can sometimes yield false negative, inconclusive, or false positive results.

FNA has several advantages over excisional biopsy. In today's economic environment, cost savings is an important consideration in medicine. The cost of FNA in the office varies from $75-350 depending on the study source and whether or not the pathology fees are included. In contrast, the cost of excisional biopsies ranges from $1200-2500. The cost is even higher if a hospital stay is required.

FNA is also more convenient for patients and their families. The procedure requires only an office visit with minimal loss of time from work. On the other hand, excisional biopsy often requires time off from work, preoperative blood tests, and often, radiographic and cardiac testing. Furthermore, surgery exposes patients to the risks of anesthesia, postoperative infection, and the possibility of tumor seeding (see below). A percentage of patients may require overnight admission to the hospital and extra time from work.

Open biopsies of lymph nodes can also be performed, but should be considered only in select cases. Complications associated with open biopsies include disruption of the normal lymphatic drainage system, an increased risk of tumor recurrence in the neck (due to to seeding in other tissues), the destruction of valuable surface area that may be needed during surgery, and the risks associated with general anesthesia.

Excisional biopsy may also interfere with further treatment. Incorrectly placed biopsy incisions may interfere with neck dissection and/or tissue oxygenation, to the detriment of radiotherapy.

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References:
Biopsies of Head and Neck Masses
Fine-Needle Aspiration of Neck Masses