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What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of synovial biopsy
A comparison of synovial biopsy techniques is given below
Comparison of Synovial Biopsy Techniques
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|---|---|---|
| Needle biopsy | Least expensive Least traumatic One skin incision | Small biopsy specimens Sampling error |
| Needle arthroscopic biopsy | Minimally invasive Direct visualization | Two skin incisions Moderately expensive |
| Arthroscopic biopsy | Direct visualization Large biopsy specimen | Expensive Invasive |
| Open surgical biopsy | Direct visualization Large biopsy specimen Best if suspected tumor or foreign body Can be done on any joint | Expensive Most invasive Longest postoperative recovery time |
An ultrasound-guided forceps biopsy has advantages/disadvantages similar to a needle biopsy but can indirectly visualize the best site to biopsy, which lessens sampling error.
