ULTRASONIC GUIDED MICROBIOPSY IN MAMMARY DIAGNOSIS - INDICATIONS, TECHNIQUE AND RESULTS

Between 1992 and 1993, 307 ultrasonic guided highspeed core cut biopsi es were performed. In 119 of the 307 women, we dispensed with further surgical and histological procedures when the tentative diagnosis from complementary mammary diagnostic procedures revealed no pathological findings and concurred with the histological results of the core cut b iopsy. In 188 women, the biopsy was followed by surgical intervention and correlation of the histological findings. This group of patients s howed a sensitivity of 98% a specificity and positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 91%. If we combine the res ults of the complementary mammary diagnosis (including the core cut bi opsy), then the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative pr edictive values for this surgically and histologically confirmed group of patients reach 100%. In trained hands, the ultrasonic-guided high- speed core cut biopsy is a reliable means for determining the histolog ical nature of lesions detected in ultrasonic scans. This technique ha s been perfected in our facility. Along with preoperative carcinoma de tection, it permits us to avoid unnecessary operations when, under def ined conditions, there are no pathological findings.