Abstract
Needle biopsy is a common procedure used to diagnose various types of cancer, particularly prostate cancer. Current needle biopsy devices used in this procedure feature End-Cut and Side-Cut needles. They also typically have a loud and sudden spring-loaded firing mechanism with inaccurate needle positioning that can cause additional harm to the patient. A novel aspiration-assisted biopsy device has been developed by researchers at the University of Florida that uses a coaxial End-Cut needle attached to a syringe. The device utilizes vacuum pressure to retain tissue during the biopsy procedure and does not have a spring-loaded firing mechanism. This paper describes the design and development of the device and characterizes its performance by testing it on animal tissue ex-vivo alongside two other commercial biopsy devices currently used in clinical settings. Tests performed on bovine cardiac tissue ex-vivo indicated that the developed device performs comparably to the two commercial biopsy devices.
