Breast Ultrasound & US-guided Biopsy
Breast ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to look inside the body. A handheld instrument is placed on the skin, and echoes from the sound waves are picked up and translated by a special computer to form a black and white picture of your breast tissue. This study is painless and does not expose you to radiation.
Breast ultrasound may be used to complement mammography among women with dense breast tissue, but it is not currently recommended to replace a screening mammogram. It is useful in evaluating breast problems that are revealed during screening or diagnostic mammograms or on physical exam, and is the only way to identify a cyst without placing a needle into the suspicious area to withdraw fluid.
US-guided breast biopsy is a technique that uses ultrasound guidance for needle biopsies and aspirations. The tissue/cells removed are then examined under a microscope by a pathologist to determine if the lesion is benign or malignant. Ultrasound is also used to for wire localization, when a wire is placed into the suspicious area to help the surgeon locate the lesion for surgical biopsy. Biopsies are performed on an outpatient basis with local anesthesia and by our board-certified, specialty-trained breast radiologists.
To learn more about Breast Ultrasound, click here.
To learn more about Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsies, click here.