Evaluation of the histopathology of brain tumor tissue obtained by ultrasonic aspiration.

Ultrasonic aspiration has been widely adopted in the resection of tumors of the central nervous system. In the past, the tumor tissue fragments obtained have been discarded. To evaluate these fragments as possible sources of material for histopathological study and tissue culture, we compared the microscopic features and viability in tissue culture of CUSA tissue fragments and biopsies obtained by conventional methods. Two cases (a meningioma and a subependymal astrocytoma) are presented to demonstrate that these tissue fragments retain good preservation of histological detail and tissue culture viability. Because the quantity of tumor tissue available from the CUSA tissue trap is consistently greater than that obtained by standard biopsy methods, utilization of this material may facilitate pathological interpretation by providing a more representative sample of tumor histology as well as providing an adequate and sterile source of material for tissue culture studies.