Troubleshooting to Overcome Technical Challenges in Image-guided Breast Biopsy

Image-guided breast biopsy with stereotactic, ultrasonographic, or magnetic resonance imaging guidance has become an integral component of every breast imaging program. It has many advantages over open surgical biopsy, including lower cost, lower patient morbidity, faster patient recovery, and minimal to no scarring, with equal accuracy to that of open surgical biopsy. Successful completion of a breast biopsy begins with thorough preprocedural planning to choose the appropriate imaging modality and most efficient biopsy approach. Patient mental and physical comorbidities, anticoagulation status, small or thin breasts, and breast implants, as well as lesion conspicuity and posterior, superficial, axillary, or subareolar location, pose technical challenges to successful image-guided breast biopsy that must be overcome. When biopsy is performed with use of a different imaging modality than that used to initially identify the target, careful preprocedural multimodality radiologic correlation, postprocedural identification of the biopsy marker location, and radiologic-pathologic correlation must be undertaken to ensure accurate biopsy of the intended target with use of the different modality. If, after employing all available strategic and procedural modifications, image-guided breast biopsy cannot be performed, then surgical excision of the intended target should be recommended at the time of biopsy cancellation to avoid a delay in diagnosis. This article reviews patient and lesion factors that pose technical challenges to successful breast biopsy and presents strategies and procedural modifications that aid in successful completion of breast biopsy in challenging situations. ^©RSNA, 2017.