Guided Breast Biopsies
When you or your doctor detects a lump through examination or diagnostic imaging, the next step may be a minimally invasive, guided breast biopsy procedure. Because it’s often not possible to determine if a lump felt or detected on images is benign or cancerous, guided biopsies offer a more gentle approach to sampling breast tissue than traditional surgery provides. During guided breast biopsies, local anesthesia prevents discomfort so that you can remain awake and are able to resume normal activities within a short time.
At Sutter, we offer three guided breast-biopsy procedures:
- Ultrasound-guided breast biopsies use high-frequency sound waves to pinpoint the abnormality. After the lump is isolated, you’ll receive a local anesthetic to numb the area while your doctor extracts a small tissue sample. Your doctor will send the sample to the laboratory for examination and you’ll receive the results within a few days.
- Stereotactic-guided breast biopsies use special mammography equipment that provides a triangulated image of the breast tissue to guide doctors in removing some or all of the abnormal tissue for laboratory examination. Particularly useful on abnormalities that are too small to be felt, stereotactic biopsies allow doctors to remove enough tissue to determine if the lump is benign or cancerous while minimizing your discomfort.
- Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI-guided breast biopsies use MRI imaging, which is especially useful in locating soft-tissue abnormalities. As with ultrasound and stereotactic guided biopsies, doctors use MRI technology to locate the abnormal tissue and remove a sample for further laboratory examination.
Each guided breast biopsy procedure offers advantages, depending on the area and type of tissue in question. Your doctor will determine which procedure will provide the best option for you. You can find more detailed information about guided breast biopsies in the breast biopsy and fine-needle aspirations sections of our Health Information Library.