title: Ultrasound guided excisional biopsy of non-palpable breast lesions: technique and preliminary results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a simple and accurate technique of incisional biopsy under ultrasonographic guidance to aid the histological diagnosis of non-palpable lesions of the breast
  
  
  METHODS
  Open prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  35 patients who presented to this hospital with 42 non-palpable lesions diagnosed by echography or mammography during 18 month period 1995-1996.
  
  
  METHODS
  Creation of a pocket in the breast in which the transducer of the ultrasound scanner was inserted to guide the surgeon while an excision biopsy was taken.
  
  
  METHODS
  Histological diagnosis, and quality of scar.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (SD) diameter of the lesions was 11.6 (3.15) mm on the ultrasound scan, that of the biopsy specimens was 18.1 (5.82) mm, and that of the histological specimens 9.7 (3.52) mm. 29 lesions showed fibrocystic mastopathy with apocrine metaplasia, 10 fibroadenomas, 2 invasive ductal carcinoma, and 1 atypical duct hyperplasia. There were no unsightly scars.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have developed a simple and accurate technique for incisional biopsy under ultrasound control.
authors.affiliation: I Institute of Clinical Surgery, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: di Giorgio
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arnone
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canavese
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014465:Ultrasonics