Etymed
biopsy
Definition
The removal and examination of tissue or cells for diagnostic purposes
Clinical context
A 45-year-old woman presents with a persistent cough and hemoptysis. A chest X-ray reveals a pulmonary nodule, and the physician decides to perform a percutaneous needle biopsy to obtain tissue samples for histopathological examination. The biopsy results will determine whether the nodule is benign or malignant.
Mnemonic
Biopsy = Bi- (two) tissue samples for diagnosis - think 'Bi-opsy' as in 'Bi-opsy' - two samples for definitive diagnosis