Stereotactic Breast Biopsy is a nonsurgical procedure completed on an outpatient basis with a minimum of discomfort and recovery time.

Upon entering the procedure room, the woman lies face-down on a special table. The table has a hole through which the breast is placed. The breast is slightly compressed to immobilize it, just as in a mammmogram. This allows our radiologists to get a clear mammographic image of the area to be sampled. The table is connected to a computer that processes digital images. Placement of the sampling device is guided by a computerized system using x-rays.

Two images at different angles are taken that allow the computer to localize the mass and calculate the coordinates. Local anesthesia is used before the vaccum - operated needle is advanced to the coordinates that were calculated by the computer. The advance of the needle is followed by several images.

Once the needle is seen to be in the breast mass or the breast microcalcification, vacuum-assisted biopsies are taken. The patient is awake throughout the whole procedure and can go home with a Band-Aid® shortly thereafter. The pathology specimens are sent to a pathologist, and the results are usually known within two-to-four days.