What is a wire/needle localization biopsy?
A breast imaging examination has shown an abnormal area that your healthcare provider wants evaluated through a biopsy. Because this area can be seen by mammography or ultrasound, the area will be marked with a wire by the radiologist to assist your surgeon in removing the tissue. This procedure is called a wire/needle localization. The procedure involves two steps. The first step is a wire/needle localization. And the second step is the surgical biopsy. Step 1: Wire/Needle Localization • A radiologist performs the wire localization in the mammography or ultrasound suite. This takes approximately 30 minutes. • Mammography or ultrasound guidance will be used to assist the radiologist in localizing the area. • The radiologist will cleanse the skin around the insertion point with alcohol and numb the area. • A small needle will be guided into the breast until the needle tip touches the area of abnormality. Because the breast tissue has few nerves, the needle may cause only minor discomfor
