Safety and Diagnostic Yield of Percutaneous Urinary Bladder Tumor Biopsy.

OBJECTIVES

Conventional bladder tumor diagnosis consists of transurethral resections, which are not always feasible and can entail significant morbidity for vulnerable patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and diagnostic yield percutaneous urinary bladder tumor biopsy as an alternative for such cases.

METHODS

Retrospective review of an institutional database identified 58 patients who underwent 59 bladder tumor biopsies between February 1, 2009 and February 1, 2025. Patient, procedural, and pathologic characteristics were recorded. Adverse events were classified according to Society of Interventional Radiology criteria.

RESULTS

Mean patient age was 68 years (range: 22-90). All procedures were technically successful. Most cases used CT guidance (88.1%) and 17/18 gauge coaxial core biopsy systems (84.7%). Biopsy results were diagnostic in 94.9% of cases. Biopsy results were concordant with surgical pathology in 13/14 (92.9%) patients who subsequently underwent transurethral resection or cystectomy. There were no severe adverse events or procedure-related mortality. There were two minor urinary tract infections following biopsy and two moderate bleeding events requiring treatment.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous biopsy is a safe and effective method for sampling urinary bladder tumors.