Spine Image-Guided Biopsy - Benefits and Risks

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.

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.