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How Should Patients Prepare for
Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy?
To prepare for a vacuum-assisted
biopsy, patients may eat a light meal prior to the exam and biopsy procedure. A
comfortable two-piece garment should be worn. Women should not wear talcum powder,
deodorant, lotion, or perfume under their arms or on their breasts on the day of the
procedure (since these may cause image artifacts or other problems). Patients who take
blood thinners or aspirin should talk to their physicians about whether they should
discontinue using them prior to vacuum-assisted biopsy. Any jewelry worn (especially earrings
or necklaces) should be easily and quickly removable.
What Should Patients Expect
After Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy?
An adhesive bandage is applied to the
biopsy site after the procedure is complete. A cold pack may also be used to relieve
swelling and reduce bruising. Patients may be instructed to take Tylenol or other pain
relievers for discomfort if needed. Some bruising of the breast may occur during the first
five to seven days after the biopsy (or longer if the initial bleeding during the biopsy
was greater than usual). Temporary bruising of the breast after biopsy is normal and is
usually not a medical concern.
Patients should contact their
physicians if they experience any excessive swelling, bleeding, drainage, redness, or heat
in the area of the biopsy or breast. Patients should also discuss the final results of the
biopsy procedure with their referring physician within a few days of the procedure.
What are the Advantages and
Disadvantages to Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy?
Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy is
becoming more common but requires a highly skilled radiologist or surgeon who is
experienced in performing the procedure. Some patients are not good candidates for
vacuum-assisted biopsy or may have lesions (breast abnormalities) that are difficult to
locate with minimally-invasive equipment.
However, many breast lesions
(abnormalities) are able to be biopsied using the vacuum-assisted method, and if a patient
is a candidate for vacuum-assisted biopsy, there are several advantages over the
traditional open surgical biopsy:
| Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy |
Open Surgical Biopsy |
| Minimally
invasive, requires 0.25 inch incision (approximately 0.6 cm) |
Requires
1.5 to 2 inch incision (approximately 3.8 cm to 5.1 cm) |
| Usually
no significant scarring |
May
potentially cause substantial scarring |
| Performed
under local anesthesia |
Performed
under local or general anesthesia |
| Does
not require stitches |
Requires
stitches |
| Procedure
takes less than one hour |
Procedure
takes longer than one hour |
| Patients
can usually return to normal activity shortly after procedure |
Requires
at least one full day of recovery after the procedure |
| Typically
costs significantly less than open surgical biopsy |
Typically
costs more than vacuum-assisted biopsy and is usually the most expensive method of biopsy |
| Usually
provides a definitive diagnosis based on tissue samples |
Provides
a definitive diagnosis based on tissue samples |
Updated: August 29, 2007
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