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Stereotactic
Breast Biopsy
A second piece of mammogram equipment was recently added that is equipped
with an add-on stereotactic breast biopsy unit. This will allow us to increase the
number of routine screening mammograms we can do each day as well as add a new service.
The new minimally invasive breast biopsy is performed with the Mammotome
Breast Biopsy System. It was cleared by the FDA in January of 1995, and since then
hundreds of thousands of procedures have been performed at many sites including Mayo,
Baylor-Komen Breast Center, Cedars-Sinai, and Sloan-Kettering.
This system is more reliable in diagnosing breast disease than the
traditional spring loaded biopsy systems. The accuracy of the Mammotome comes from
its ability to acquire enough tissue to receive an unambiguous pathology report. The
procedure is done under local anesthetic with minimal discomfort to the patient.
The tissue is retrieved through a probe that is inserted just once through a 3 mm
skin nick, requiring no sutures, and with very good cosmetic results.
During our first week, we performed four biopsies with no complications.
For more information, please call the Radiology Department at the Hutchinson Clinic.
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