[Fine needle biopsy of sub-clinical breast lesions under ultrasonographic control]

Fine needle aspiration under ultrasonographic control fo non-palpable lesions has the advantage of being simple and non-traumatic for the patient. It is accessible to all radiologists equipped with a 7.5 MHz probe. The success of this method rests upon: excellent mammo-ultrasonographic correlation of the lesions under visual control with the patient in a mammographic position; use of a syringe with a self-locking plunger linked by a rubber tube to the aspiration needle; rinsing of the needle with a fixative (Carbowax) which will be submitted to centrifugation in the laboratory. The low cost of this method combined with is excellent results (4.5% unsatisfactory samples for lesions larger than 5 mm; 8% for lesions from 0 to 5 mm) make it an outstanding technique. Only for isolated clusters of microcalcification should samples by stereotaxy by preferred to it. Only in cases of unsatisfactory results should biopsy be preferred.