Blinded comparison of biopsy needles and automated devices in vitro: 2. Biopsy of medical renal disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare several of the commonly used manual biopsy needles with several of the new automated biopsy devices (biopsy guns) for biopsy of medical renal disease.
Materials and Methods: Ten different biopsy needles or automated devices were each used to do two biopsies of 10 cadaveric kidneys. The specimens were reviewed in a blinded fashion by a pathologist using a previously published histopathologic scale.
Results: Of the four conventional biopsy needles tested (16-gauge Jamshidi, 18-gauge Sure-Cut, 14-gauge Tru-Cut, and 14-gauge Vim Silverman), the Jamshidi needle obtained the greatest average number of glomeruli (5.64). Results similar to those obtained with the conventional needles were obtained with the 16- and 18-gauge Biopty and Ultra-Cut biopsy guns. The 18-gauge Autovac gun with either a 2- or 4-cm depth of biopsy suffered from a significant number of biopsies from which no tissue was obtained. The 14-gauge Biopty gun was clearly superior, leading in all graded categories including the average number of glomeruli (8.11) per biopsy.
Conclusion: The automated biopsy device, or biopsy gun, can provide more diagnostic specimens than can manual or conventional needles in biopsy for medical renal disease.