Lymph Node Biopsy

Biopsy, Lymph Node

How To Prepare

Tell your doctor if you:

• Are taking any medicines.
• Are allergic to any medicines, including anesthetics.
• Are allergic to latex.
• Have any bleeding problems or take blood thinners, such as ASA, heparin, or warfarin (Coumadin).
• Are or might be pregnant.

You will be asked to sign a consent form. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the biopsy, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will indicate. To help you understand the importance of the biopsy, fill out the medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).

If you take a blood thinner, you will probably need to stop taking it for a week before the biopsy.

If a lymph node biopsy is done under local anesthesia, you do not need to do anything else to prepare for the biopsy.

If the biopsy is done under general anesthesia, do not eat or drink anything for 8 to 12 hours before the biopsy. An intravenous line (IV) is put in your arm, and a sedative medication is given about an hour before the biopsy. Arrange for someone to drive you home if you have general anesthesia or are given a sedative.

Other tests, such as blood tests or X-rays, may be done before the lymph node biopsy.

Go to previous section	Go to top of page	Go to next section
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: June 20, 2007
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery
© 1995-2008 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.