HISTOLOGIC-RADIOLOGIC CORRELATION OF MAMMOGRAPHICALLY DETECTED MICROCALCIFICATION IN STEREOTAXIC CORE BIOPSIES

Core biopsy is an alternative technique to surgical excision for asses sment of nonpalpable mammographically detected suspicious lesions. The pattern of radiologic calcification is often considered to have diagn ostic importance. The aim of this study was to correlate radiologic an d histologic features of calcification, with respect to appearance, di stribution, and size, to determine the significance, if any, of differ ent radiologic patterns of calcification. Core biopsy samples from 124 women who had 129 mammographically suspicious areas of calcification were examined. Core biopsy samples (five cores per procedure) were obt ained stereotactically using a 14-gauge needle in an automated Biopty (Bard Australia, Chatswood, NSW, Australia) gun. In 30 lesions no hist ologic calcification was found, In the others, there was a poor correl ation between radiology and histology with respect to the appearance a nd distribution of calcification. In a subgroup of 53 women, radiograp hs of biopsy cores were available to allow correlation with the size o f histologic calcification, Calcification of <100 mu m assessed histol ogically was not visible on core biopsy specimen radiographs and may n ot represent the calcification seen mammographically. Thus, radiograph y of core biopsy samples and histologic measurement of the size of cal cification in core biopsy specimens is useful to reduce false-negative diagnoses in which a biopsy has been performed to evaluate mammograph ically suspicious calcifications.