Fine‐needle Aspiration Biopsy for Cytodiagnosis of Malignant Tumour in the Liver

The accuracy of fine‐needle aspiration biopsy and cytodiagnosis in the detection of intrahepatic malignant tumours is evaluated. In a material of 1 748 biopsies, performed on varying and very wide indications, intrahepatic malignancy was diagnosed in 57 patients. Later, in 39 of these, cancer was histologically proved. There was no false positive cytodiagnosis of cancer. Fine‐needle puncture detected about the same percentage of tumours as did angiography and scintigraphy. The method proved safe, simple and reliable for diagnosing intrahepatic cancer. It can be used either as an independent screening method for the detection of liver tumours, or for cytological analysis of localized foci detected by palpation, angiography, or scintigraphy. It is not invalidated by the hazards reported for conventional punch‐needle biopsy when used in tumour‐suspected cases.