Percutaneous needle biopsy under 1.2 Tesla open MRI guidance

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of percutaneous needle biopsy using a 1.2 Tesla open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, which has the highest field strength among the currently available open MRI systems. Materials and methods: This single-center prospective study included 10 patients. The primary endpoint was the feasibility of biopsy needle insertion into a target lesion under 1.2 Tesla open MRI guidance. The secondary endpoints included adverse events, device failures, and success of tissue specimen acquisition. Biopsy was performed for targets in various organs using an MRI-compatible coaxial needle system consisting of a 16G introducer needle and 18G semi-automatic biopsy needle. A newly developed body coil with a suitable design for intervention was used for intraprocedural imaging. Results: Biopsy procedures were performed for six musculoskeletal masses, two retroperitoneal masses, one renal mass, and one liver mass. The median diameter of the targets was 4.9 cm (range 2.1–22.8 cm). MRI-guided biopsy needle insertion was feasible in all 10 patients. In total, four grade 1 adverse events (as per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0) occurred in three patients. Adequate biopsy specimens for pathological diagnosis were successfully obtained from all 10 patients. Conclusion: Percutaneous needle biopsy using a 1.2 Tesla open MRI system was feasible for relatively large targets, especially in the musculoskeletal region.