Women's Health
Breast Biopsies
If a lump is detected on your mammogram or ultrasound, a biopsy may be needed to know what is causing it. A biopsy is when a piece of tissue is taken out and tested in the lab. A biopsy is the only way to know if a suspicious breast change is cancer. Two ways that we can do breast biopsies are stereotactic and ultrasound guided. If an area of concern is cystic, a cyst aspiration can be performed to alleviate discomfort to the patient. Localizer Tags are also performed to assist the breast surgeon in removed cancerous lesions that cannot be felt.
A stereotactic core needle biopsy uses the mammography machine and a computer to analyze pictures of the breast. This is often done to biopsy suspicious micro calcifications or when a mass cannot be felt or seen on ultrasound. The sample is sent to pathology to be tested.
An ultrasound guided biopsy is done when there is a suspicious mass that can be seen by ultrasound. It is done in the office with local anesthesia. The needle is typically put in 3 to 6 times to get the samples and then sent to pathology to be tested.
Localization with Tag Placement is a procedure done before breast cancer surgery to find where the breast abnormality is so that the surgeon knows exactly what tissue to take out. This procedure is done by mammogram or ultrasound guidance. A radio frequent tag is placed as close as possible to the area of concern. With the tag in place, the surgeon will know where the tissue is that has to come out.
A cyst aspiration is a procedure used to drain fluid from a breast cyst. The vast majority of cysts are benign (non-cancerous), though some are quite tender. Aspirating the fluid from a cyst may alleviate symptoms or discomfort. In some cases, specimens are sent to pathology.
