What is ductal lavage?
Ductal lavage is a new technique to collect cells from the lining of the milk duct. In this procedure, nipple aspiration is first used to draw a tiny amount of fluid to the surface of the nipple to locate the milk ducts. A slender catheter is then inserted into the duct through the natural opening. A small amount of anesthetic is infused into the duct through the catheter, followed by a small amount of saline. This saline rinses through the duct, collecting cells, and is then withdrawn. This minimally invasive procedure produces many more cells than the other methods commonly used to collect cells from the milk ducts. 4. What other techniques can be used to collect cells from the milk ducts? Researchers sometimes use fine needle aspiration or needle biopsy (procedures commonly used to diagnose abnormal breast growth) to collect milk duct cells for study. Infine needle aspiration, researchers insert a thin needle into the breast tissue and apply mild pressure to withdraw cells and fluid
