Q&A: MRI-guided breast biopsies help detect breast cancer
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Stacy Spooner, MD, a radiologist in the Backus Diagnostic Imaging Department who is fellowship-trained in breast imaging, spoke with Healthy Connections about MRI-guided breast biopsies - a new option at Backus for radiologists to use in certain cases.
What is a breast biopsy?
Breast biopsies remove cells from a suspicious area to determine whether a lump or abnormality in the breast is benign or cancerous.
When would you use an MRI-guided breast biopsy?
When a patient has had a mammogram and ultrasound, but there are further indicators, such as a high risk patient or questionable density on a mammogram, then an MRI may be done. Sometimes a tumor can only be seen byMRI technology, so using it is the only way to localize the tumor for a biopsy. Currently, the breast is the only part of the body that an MRI-guided biopsy is routinely used for.
How is the biopsy performed?
The patient is injected with contrast material, which shows up on the scan. An initial MRI is done, and then the patient stays on the table for the biopsy. A guide is placed in the breast to confirm the position, is doublechecked by the MRI machine and the biopsy is performed. The biopsy procedure itself is done the same way as it would be in other situations (breast biopsy is performed to remove tissue and examine it under a microscope to render a diagnosis, to determine if a mass or calcium deposits are malignant or benign).
Are breast MRIs different from other types of MRIs?
A special type of coil is used, which goes under the breast. The patients lie on their stomachs and then the breast goes through the coil. The table then goes into the circular MRI machine.
How long does the procedure usually take?
It is an outpatient procedure that usually takes about an hour. Patients tolerate the procedure well, there is a short recovery time afterwards but they are able to go home that day.