Centers of Excellence

Please report to Admitting 15 minutes before your scheduled biopsy time.

PREP: Wear a two-piece outfit to your appointment, so you will only have to remove your top. Don’t use any deodorant, powders, lotions, or creams on your chest area before your exam because these products can show up on the x-ray image. If you think you are pregnant, please tell the technologist before your exam. You should report to your Doctor all medications that you are taking. Your physician may advise you to stop taking aspirin or blood thinners before your procedure.

PURPOSE: A Mammotome Stereotactic Breast Biopsy is a less painful, less invasive way to obtain the tissue sample needed for diagnosis of the abnormality revealed on your mammogram. This procedure requires much less recovery time than does an excisional biopsy, and there is little scarring to the breast.

WHAT TO EXPECT: After checking in you will be escorted to the biopsy room and asked to change into a hospital gown. A female technologist will ask you to lie face down on a special biopsy table. Your breast will be positioned through a round opening in the table. The table will be raised so the radiologist and technologist can work from below. Your breast will be compressed with a compression paddle, just as it was during your mammogram. When the area of the breast containing the lesion is correctly positioned, two x-ray images of the same area will be taken from different angles. With the help of the computer, the exact positioning of the biopsy needle is determined from these images. The radiologist will numb the biopsy area by injecting a local anesthetic into your breast. This will sting. After this area has become numb, the radiologist will insert the biopsy needle into your breast. You will hear a loud click as the needle is positioned. When the radiologist is sure the needle is in the proper position tissue samples will be taken. You will hear noises from the equipment being used and you will feel a tugging in your breast. Tell the technologist and radiologist if you feel pain and more numbing medicine will be given. When all the tissue samples needed have been taken, the needle will be removed and the compression paddle released. The technologist will hold pressure on the biopsy site. The tissue sample will be sent to a pathologist.

POST EXAM INFORMATION: A dressing will be applied. Two mammogram pictures will be taken of your breast. Most women feel fine after the procedure and return to their normal routine right away. However, we do recommend that strenuous exercise or activity be avoided for al least 24 hours. Your doctor will receive the pathology report 2-3 days after the biopsy. Your physician will discuss the results with you and give you instructions About St. Alexius scheduling a follow up mammography appointment.

TIME FRAME: Approximately 11/2 hour.