How is a breast biopsy performed?
There are 3 common biopsy techniques for nonpalpable lesions (ones that can’t be felt): needle localization with excisional biopsy, core needle biopsy and fine needle aspiration. Of these, the most common is excisional biopsy followed by core needle biopsy. Both are used when the lesion in question is a solid mass. Excisional biopsy-A two-step process that begins in a radiology suite, where a radiologist manually places a wire marker into the breast to identify the location of the lesion. The patient is then moved to a surgical suite, where the surgeon, using the wire marker as a guide, finds the specimen and removes it through an open incision. Because existing technology sometimes makes it difficult to place the wire marker with a high degree of accuracy, to be safe, doctors sometimes remove more tissue @ necessary-often the size of a golf ball or larger. This can leave the patient with a large scar and potentially permanent disfigurement. Core needle biopsy-Uses a needle with a spec
