[Ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy: review of 382 cases]

To evaluate the use of US-guided vacuum biopsy for diagnosis and treatment of probably benign breast masses.

Retrospective review of 382 US guided vacuum biopsies over a 44 months period (september 2001 to may 2005) with the 11-g handheld mammotome. A total of 308 benign tumors, 59 borderline lesions and 15 carcinomas were diagnosed. The average number of specimens is 13.1 (3-37). Surgical resection has been systematic for carcinomas and selective for papillomas. Surgical correlation (n:35) or mammographic follow-up (n:347) are presented.

Complete removal occurred in 371/382 (97.1%) immediately after biopsy and 337/382 (88.2%) after one month: 138/142 (93.7%) for fibroadenomas and 52/53 (98.1%) papillomas less than 15 mm. Open surgical biopsy was carried out for 35 patients on the basis of incomplete removal (3 cases) or histologic findings (8 invasive carcinomas, 7 ductal carcinoma in situ, 3 atypical ductal hyperplasia, 1 fibrocystic changes with atypia and 11 papillomas). No lesion was under-diagnosed and the rate of avoided surgery was 94.5%. Of the 347 lesions that were not surgically biopsied (42 borderline lesions and 305 benign lesions), 337 were monitored at 1-43 months (average: 20 months, > or =24 months: 57 patients). Ten underwent additional biopsy but no missed cancer was detected. Patients tolerance was good or very good in 83%, and the complication rate was 1.3%.

US-guided vacuum biopsy is an accurate and well tolerated technique. It is an alternative to surgery for masses less than 15 mm including fibroadenomas and papillomas or in patients with imaging-histologic discordance at core biopsy.