OBJECTIVE: The diagnostic yield and therapeutic implications of brain biopsy were determined in a series of 50 consecutive brain biopsies that were performed in 48 @entity1 between 1990 and 1995 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital to assess progressive @entity179 of unclear origin. METHODS: Severely immunocompromised @entity1 and @entity1 undergoing biopsies for suspected @entity1313 were excluded from this analysis. Before surgery, the @entity1 had undergone extensive laboratory and radiographic tests, including lumbar puncture (all 48 @entity1 ), electroencephalography (26 of 48 @entity1 ), magnetic resonance imaging (all 48 @entity1 ), and angiography (17 of 48 @entity1 ). Despite the results of these studies, diagnoses could not be established, and thus, brain biopsies were undertaken. RESULTS: Only 10 of the 50 biopsies (44 open procedures and 6 stereotactic procedures) led to diagnoses, resulting in a diagnostic yield of 20%. An additional three biopsies (6%) were only suggestive of diagnoses. The results of 33 biopsies (66%) were abnormal but nonspecific, and the results of 4 (8%) were normal. Minor complications associated with biopsy occurred in five cases (10%), and there were no deaths. Of the 10 @entity1 whose biopsies were diagnostic, only 4 underwent meaningful therapeutic intervention as a result of the procedure, resulting in an overall therapeutic benefit in only 8% of all the cases. An analysis of @entity1 subgroups to elucidate a correlation with diagnostic biopsy revealed that @entity1 with focal magnetic resonance imaging findings had the highest likelihood of a diagnostic biopsy (odds ratio, 4.00). Electroencephalography and laboratory abnormalities were not predictive of a diagnostic biopsy. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the current diagnostic yield (20%) of brain biopsy for progressive @entity179 is lower than that of earlier reports and that the therapeutic benefits of the procedure are limited.

Diagnostic yield of brain biopsy in XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity179 :: ('MESH:D019636', 'Disease') :: ['neurodegenerative disorders'] @entity1313 :: ('MESH:D001932', 'Disease') :: ['neoplastic lesions']
@entity179 :: (MESH:D019636,Disease) :: ['neurodegenerative disorders']
