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Spine Image-Guided Biopsy - Benefits and Risks

Benefits

  • The procedure is less invasive than surgical biopsy, leaves little or no scarring and can be performed in less than an hour.
  • Image-guided biopsy is able to evaluate lesions on the spine.
  • Recovery time is brief and patients can soon resume their usual activities.

Risks

  • There is a risk of bleeding and forming a hematoma, or a collection of blood at the biopsy site. The risk, however, appears to be less than one percent of patients.
  • An occasional patient has significant discomfort, which can be readily controlled by non-prescription pain medication.
  • Any procedure where the skin is penetrated carries a risk of infection. The chance of infection requiring antibiotic treatment appears to be less than one in 1,000.