What is a stereotactic breast biopsy?
Mammography is an excellent way to detect breast abnormalities, but in many cases it is not possible to tell from the imaging studies alone whether a growth is benign or cancerous. To make this determination it is necessary to obtain a tissue sample for microscopic examination. As an alternative to open surgical biopsy, which removes a larger specimen for microscopic analysis, a hollow needle may be passed through the skin into the suspicious lesion with the help of special breast x-rays. The sample of breast tissue obtained in this way can show whether the lesion is malignant or benign and the procedure is much less invasive than the surgical approach. A special computerized mammography machine uses intersecting coordinates to pinpoint the area of tissue change. This method is called stereotactic biopsy or x-ray-guided biopsy. A pathologist examines the removed specimen and makes a final diagnosis so that treatment planning can begin. What are some common uses of the procedure? A ster
