Experience with breast biopsies using the advanced breast biopsy instrumentation system

OBJECTIVE, A retrospective review of our experience with advanced breast bi opsy instrumentation (ABBI) was undertaken to evaluate its efficacy for exc isional breast biopsy of lesions detected on mammography. To our knowledge, experience with ABBI has not been previously reported in the radiology lit erature. MATERIALS AND METHODS, Biopsies using the ABBI system and an adapted dedica ted table were performed in 53 patients who had 54 mammographically evident lesions. Samples were obtained with cannulas ranging in size between 5 and 20 mm. Indications for biopsy were calcifications (n = 22) and masses (n = 31). RESULTS. Forty-five specimens (44 patients) had beni,on results at patholog y: 15 specimens were diagnosed as fibroadenoma, 15 as cystic breast disease , and four as reactive lymph nodes; the remaining 11 specimens had beni,on diagnoses of adenosis, fibrosis, and hyperplasia. The average specimen size was 4.8 cm in greatest longitudinal dimension. One patient had a nondiagno stic biopsy for calcifications later found to be dermal. Seven patients wer e diagnosed as having breast cancer; in six of these, the tumor involved th e margins of the specimen. One patient had marked atypia that required reex cision for the diagnosis of intraductal carcinoma to be made. CONCLUSION. The ABBI procedure is a more invasive and less readily availabl e procedure than core needle biopsy for sampling of benign breast lesions. In seven cases of malignancy diagnosed at breast biopsy, the ABBI technique completely excised only st single lesion. In our experience, the ABBI proc edure offered no advantages over core needle biopsy for either benign or ma lignant lesions.