BIOPSY

medical diagnostic procedure in which cells or tissues are removed from a patient and examined visually, usually with a microscope. The material for the biopsy may be obtained by several methods and with various instruments, including aspiration through a needle, swabbing with a sponge, scraping with a curette, trephining a bone, or excision with a forceps or electric snare. The biopsy is a standard step in the diagnosis of malignant and benign tumours and can also provide a wide range of other types of diagnostic information, particularly in connection with such organs as the liver or pancreas.