Applications of thin needle aspiration biopsy in urology.

Percutaneous thin needle aspiration biopsy was done on 34 patients for better staging of malignant disease by study of opacified lymph nodes, on 12 patients to eliminate the possibility of a malignant etiology of ureteral obstruction and on 7 patients with potentially metastatic soft tissue or visceral lesions. Ideally, a positive biopsy should change subsequent patient management and may eliminate the need for an exploratory operation. A significant number of falsely negative results occur and, for this reason, a negative biopsy should not affect subsequent patient management.