Core Biopsy, Tru Cut Biopsy, Lanceting Puncture or Puncture Biopsy with Tissue Morcelatting Needle ?

LETTERS TO EDITOR

Core Biopsy, Tru Cut Biopsy, Lanceting Puncture or Puncture Biopsy with Tissue Morcelatting Needle ?

^{Mailing address}

Dear Editor,

For several years we have been facing a semantic dilemma in the attempt to translate from the English the terms "Core Biopsy" or "Tru-Cut Biopsy" applied to designate these minimally invasive techniques (transcutaneous punctures) for collecting tissues samples by means of special needles that remove a hemicylinder of lesion, allowing its histological evaluation. Aiming at solving this problem, the honorable Professor Nelson Porto has for many years suggested the term punção lancetante (lanceting puncture). This term that is widely accepted in Rio Grande do Sul, especially among the disciples of this brilliant scholar, unfortunately has not been nationally recognized and the foreign terms Core biópsia (Core biopsy) and Tru-Cut biópsia (Tru-Cut biopsy) still continue to be frequently applied in Brazilian medical articles and journals published in our language.

The term biópsia por punção transcutânea com agulha fragmentante tecidual (transcutaneous puncture biopsy with tissue morcellating needle), which could be, in a simplified way, abbreviated to punção fragmentante (PFrag), has been alternatively suggested by Dr. L. Irion in her doctorate thesis, for those who had not accepted the term punção lancetante (lanceting puncture) proposed by Professor Porto. To coin this term, we have taken into consideration that the process of sample obtention for histological analysis is done by means of needles especially designed to be inserted through the skin into the lesion to remove a tissue fragment. At this point, another Professor Porto's contribution should be mentioned: the expression punção percutânea (percutaneous puncture) is inadequate because the process always causes skin rupture, i.e. it is a transcutaneous procedure and there is no possibility of achieving the lesion with the needle due the skin permeability as the term percutaneous indicates. This should be taken into consideration in the writing of our scientific papers. In some papers we can find the term agulha cortante (cutting needle), which is not appropriate since, in principle, every needle is sharp-edged and cuts.

We wish to express our acknowledgements to Prof. Dr. Nelson Porto for his valuable teachings and his suggestions for elaboration of this letter.

Klaus Loureiro Irion

Doctor in Medicine: Pneumology; UFRGS

(Consultant Radiologist Pennine Acute Hospitals, England).

Luciane Dreher Irion

MSc (MD, Pathologist at Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust).

Bruno Hochhegger

MD.

Program of Post-Graduation in Pneumology at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

Maling adress:

912 Manchester Road, Bury

England. Post code: BL98DW

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  26 Sept 2006
• Date of issue
  Aug 2006