IMAGING-GUIDED ASPIRATION AND BIOPSY IN CHILDREN

Aspiration is probably the simplest procedure performed by the interventional radiologist, but it must be given the same forethought and planning that any interventional procedure deserves. Although a clinician may simply ask for an aspiration, a biopsy or drainage may be the correct procedure. When this possibility exists, the patient and parent should be informed ahead of time, and the patient should be prepared with heavier sedation or anesthesia. Fluoroscopy may be necessary if the aspiration results in a drainage procedure.