OBJECTIVE: In the majority of cases, the correct treatment of brain lesions is possible only when the histopathological diagnosis is made. Several deep-seated lesions near eloquent areas are not safely approached by the classical neurosurgical procedures. These patients can get benefit by a minimally invasive procedure. METHOD: We present a series of 176 consecutive patients submitted to stereotactic biopsies due to a great variety of brain lesions. RESULTS: Histological diagnosis found in this series: glioma in 40.1% of the patients, other neoplasms in 12.2% and infectious or inflammatory diseases in 29.1 %. The result was inconclusive in 5.2% of the procedures. One patient died (0.6%) and two (1.2%) presented operative complications. The criteria, advantages and risks of the stereotactic biopsies are discussed. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of the method is adequate and morbid-mortality rates were low.
brain biopsy; stereotaxy; brain lesions; cancer
