Stereotactic needle biopsy for occult breast lesions: a minimally invasive alternative

Women are being screened with annual mammography in increasing numbers to achieve early diagnosis and improve chances of survival. A minimally invasive and cost-effective biopsy technique is needed to evaluate nonpalpable mammographically detected lesions without decreasing reliability. A technique of core biopsy with a coring needle deployed in a spring loaded gun using stereotactic localization has been developed to fulfill this need. An in-depth study of 500 consecutive stereotactic core biopsies have been analyzed and reported in this article. The study gives statistical evaluation of data and reports the breakdown of the histologic diagnosis of these cases and an analysis of detected malignancies. The study suggests that 75% of the indeterminate mammographic lesions can be judged to be benign and that no further surgery is necessary. The false negative rate is discussed in detail. The indications for stereotactic biopsy, the proper selection of patients, and the suggested follow-up are also addressed. The benign and malignant lesions are characterized in detail.