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Confirmation of diagnosis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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Two techniques are practiced to confirm a suspected diagnosis of astrocytoma:

  • burr hole biopsy - requires pre-operative cover to reduce risk of focal deficit or haemorrhage. A sample of tissue is aspirated through a brain cannula inserted into the abnormal region.

  • stereotactic biopsy guided by CT or MRI - suitable for small and/or deeply inaccessible lesions but small sample size extracted makes histological diagnosis difficult.

The accuracy of any method is reduced by the variation in malignancy in any one lesion. The highest grade obtained in the sample is used to classify the lesion.

Diagnostic biopsy followed by radiotherapy is often the treatment of choice in the elderly and those with marked disability, e.g. severe dysphasia. It is also used to treat hypothalamic astrocytomas which are inaccessible.

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The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

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