Comparison of 22-gauge Chiba and screw-tipped needles for cytologic diagnosis of malignancy in in vitro tumor specimens.

Abstract

The relative effectiveness of two commonly used small-bore needles (22-gauge 30 degrees angle-tipped Chiba and 22-gauge screw-tipped needles) in fine-needle aspiration biopsies was compared prospectively in 39 abdominal or soft-tissue neoplasms freshly delivered to the authors' surgical pathology laboratory. With use of a "single-pass" standardized technique, cytologic sensitivity rates of 84% for the screw-tipped needles and 87% for the Chiba needles were obtained. No statistically significant difference in effectiveness was found between the two needles. While either needle is clearly acceptable for fine-needle aspiration, since the screw-tipped needle costs more than twice as much as the Chiba needle and is slightly more cumbersome to use, the Chiba needle appears to be preferable, at least initially, to the screw-tipped needle.