Aspiration biopsy of the spine should be considered an established procedure for diagnosing vertebral lesions as confirmed by the experience at my hospital with 1078 cases seen between 1939 and 1967.
The general principles of aspiration biopsy, as well as its advantages and disadvantages, are discussed with particular reference to the thoracic spine between the second and ninth thoracic vertebrae, a region previously thought to be unsuitable for this procedure. If the aspiration is performed with the proper technique and instruments it is completely safe. No complications were observed in this series.
The anatomical studies employed to develop the technique for aspiration biopsy of the thoracic spine are described as well as the results in twenty-eight thoracic lesions. In these cases the correct diagnosis was established in twenty-seven and no complications occurred.