EXPERIENCE OF A REFERRAL RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT WITH PREOPERATIVE BREAST LOCALIZATION PROCEDURES

Purpose: To outline the experience of a referral radiology department with preoperative localisation procedures on the basic of mammograms o btained by other facilities. Material and methods: 342 consecutive fem al patients aged 56.5+/-11.9 years under went preoperative breast loca lisation procedures prior to surgery. Of these patients 241 had their mammograms obtained in various private practices and 101 in the radiol ogy department. Retrospectively all mammograms were classified by lesi ons morphology, lesion size and presence or absence of calcifications. Results: The overall benign-to-malignant ratio (B/M-ratio) was 1.7:1. In the referred patient group the B/M-ratio was 1.9:1, compared to a B/M-ratio of 1.3:1 obtained by the radiology department. Referred pati ents presented significantly (p<0.001) more often with calcifications that patients from the radiology department. Conclusion: Possible fact ors for the higher B/M-ratio in referred patients are prompt referral to surgical biopsy, misinterpretation of mammograms, failure in the wr itten report, lack of a second opinion and lack of feedback and commun ication between surgeon, pathologist and radiologist.