Percutaneous ultrasound guided needle aspiration of the brain

Percutaneous fine-needle aspiration and biopsy techniques have proved to be a safe, accurate and effective means of obtaining cytological diagnosis. Recently neurosonographic biopsy techniques have been widely used in conjunction with open brain biopsies. Ultrasound has been used to evaluate sonographic echogenicity, size, and configuration of mass lesions as well as their relationship to the cerebral ventricles and other vital structures. The ability of ultrasound to localise precisely a deeply situated intracranial lesion intra-operatively has reduced patient morbidity, operative time and cost of surgery. We report our experience with the use of a sonographically guided percutaneous approach in the evacuation of a cerebral cyst and discuss the technique, advantages, disadvantages and future applications.