A stereotactic breast biopsy is conducted in order to determine if any abnormal lump of cells in the mammary glands, revealed through common methods of detection like self-examination, physical breast exam or mammography, is cancerous in nature. It involves the collection of a small sample of cells from the area in the breast where the abnormal cellular growth is located and the observation of this sample under a microscope in a pathological lab.
This kind of breast biopsy is done in order to examine the nature of tiny clusters of calcium deposits in the breasts either at a site where surgery was conducted previously or a new area in the breasts. Any distortion in shape and size of the breasts or small lumps in the breast can also be examined closely through this test. This is useful in the early detection of breast cancer.
You are not required to make any special preparation for the test. You should not wear any perfume, lotion or deodorant under your arms on the day of the test. Inform your doctor if you are allergic to anesthetics or are on blood-thinning medication. You must also report to the doctor beforehand if you are pregnant, as some forms of this test involve the use of radiation that might be potentially harmful for the developing fetus. Just before the test is conducted, you will be asked to take off your clothes waist upwards and lie down on an examination table. You should also remove jewelry of all sorts so that they do not interfere with the breast imaging results.
A local anesthetic is applied on the breasts. The doctor may run her fingers over your breasts (a process called palpation) to locate the suspicious lump of cells. If the abnormal cell growth is not easily visible or felt, she may also use a stereo imaging device in order to obtain an accurate three-dimensional digital image of the exact position of the lump. Based on this, a small needle is inserted into the particular area of the breast from where the sample of cells or fluids is to be collected. There are two kinds of instruments that may be used for this purpose: core needle, which is a hollow needle that removes one sample of tissue every time it is inserted, and vacuum-assisted device, which can collect multiple samples in a single insertion of the needle.