Risk of complications and size of cutting needles: a literature review

Core needle biopsy is a safe procedure, with very few severe complications. The doctor administering the biopsy has to balance sample adequacy versus the complication rate when choosing which needle size to use. Larger needles produce better samples with fewer passes. However, larger needles also produce more bleeding in blood rich organs such as kidney or liver. We undertook this study because the Twin Sample biopsy needle is 16G in size to produce two samples comparable to an 18G biopsy needle. In discussion with interventional radiologists, they expressed concern that the larger gauge would lead to greater complication rates.