Diagnostic accuracy and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy among children with extra cranial solid masses at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

To determine the diagnostic accuracy and procedure safety of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy of extra cranial solid masses in the pediatric population. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by the Department of Pediatric Hematology /Oncology and Radiology at Indus Hospital and Health Network Karachi from August 2022 to April 2023. A total of 118 pediatric patients, from age one month to 18 years, with extra cranial solid masses were studied. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. The median age of study participants was six years with IQR = 7.2 years. Among all study participants 62.7% (n=74) were male while 37.3% (44) were female. Out of all biopsies 94.07% (n=111) were conclusive and provided an accurate diagnosis of the tumor while only 5.63% (n=07) biopsies remained inconclusive. No serious post-procedure complication was reported. Pain on the site of biopsy was the most post-procedure complain reported by 34.7% (n=41) of all the study participants. Forty-two percent of the study participants never reported any post-procedure complaints after ultrasound-guided biopsy. The diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher for malignant lesions as compared to non-malignant lesions. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy had high diagnostic accuracy and a good safety profile among children with extra cranial solid masses in private tertiary care hospital in Karachi Pakistan.