Ultrasonic guided microbiopsy in mammary diagnosis: indications, technique and results

Between 1992 and 1993, 307 ultrasonic guided highspeed core cut biopsies were performed. In 119 of the 307 women, we dispensed with further surgical and histological procedures when the tentative diagnosis from complementary mammary diagnostic procedures revealed no pathological findings and concurred with the histological results of the core cut biopsy. In 188 women, the biopsy was followed by surgical intervention and correlation of the histological findings. This group of patients showed a sensitivity of 98%, a specificity and positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 91%. If we combine the results of the complementary mammary diagnosis (including the core cut biopsy), then the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for this surgically and histologically confirmed group of patients reach 100%. In trained hands, the ultrasonic-guided high-speed core cut biopsy is a reliable means for determining the histological nature of lesions detected in ultrasonic scans. This technique has been perfected in our facility. Along with preoperative carcinoma detection, it permits us to avoid unnecessary operations when, under defined conditions, there are no pathological findings.