INTERVAL MAMMOGRAPHY AFTER NEEDLE LOCALIZATION BIOPSY OF BREAST ABNORMALITIES THAT ARE PATHOLOGICALLY BENIGN

BACKGROUND: Needle localization biopsy is commonly performed for the d iagnosis of mammographic abnormalities, Routine specimen radiography i s generally recommended, but the value of routine short-interval postb iopsy mammography has not been analyzed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We perf ormed a retrospective review of 299 consecutive localized biopsies in 286 women from March 1989 to November 1993. Of these biopsies, 217 for m the basis for this study; all yielded a benign pathologic diagnosis and had both specimen radiography and 3-month interval mammograms perf ormed, RESULTS: A total of 192 (88%) of postbiopsy mammograms were int erpreted as negative, while 22 (10%) were suspicious, Three patients h ad second biopsies and all had benign diagnoses, 16 had follow-up mamm ograms that were interpreted as normal or Stable, and 3 patients were lost to follow-up, A suspicious postbiopsy mammogram had no significan t relationship to initial mammographic abnormality or pathologic diagn osis, but did correlate with specimen radiograph interpretation (P = 0 .02 by chi-square comparison). CONCLUSIONS: In a series of needle loca lization biopsies with intraoperative specimen radiography, postbiopsy mammography failed to reveal any missed cancers, Short-interval follo w-up mammography is unnecessary to assess for residual abnormalities w hen specimen radiography confirms excision of the abnormality.