MAMMOGRAPHIC FINDINGS AFTER STEREOTAXIC 14-GAUGE VACUUM BIOPSY

PURPOSE: To evaluate mammographic findings after stereotactic 14-gauge vacuum biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Petrospective review was perfor med of results at stereotactic 14-gauge vacuum biopsy in 108 lesions i n 100 women. The median number of specimens obtained per lesion was 12 (mean, 14; range, 1-50). In all cases, mammography was performed imme diately after vacuum biopsy. Pre-and postbiopsy mammograms were review ed. RESULTS: Postbiopsy mammograms depicted air at the biopsy site in 78 (72%) of 108 lesions and hematoma in 65 (60%) of 108 lesions. Of 55 lesions depicted as calcifications, postbiopsy mammograms depicted a decrease in the number of calcifications in 45 (82%), including nine c ases in which all calcifications were removed. No residual lesion was identified on postbiopsy mammograms in 14 (13%) of 108 lesions; 11 (58 %) of 19 mammographic lesions that measured 0.5 cm or less in maximal dimension were completely removed. Nineteen patients underwent a needl e localization procedure, at a median 14 days (range, 6-51 days) after vacuum biopsy. In one patient a hematoma was depicted at mammography 10 days after biopsy; in the remaining 18 (95%) patients, mammograms o btained during needle localization depicted no hematoma or air. CONCLU SION: Air and hematoma were often present on mammograms immediately af ter stereotactic vacuum biopsy, but these changes resolved rapidly. St ereotactic vacuum biopsy provided wide sampling of calcifications and allowed complete removal of the mammographic lesion in some cases.