A wire localization excisional biopsy, also called needle localization, is an additional procedure during an excisional biopsy that your doctor uses to pinpoint the location of your affected breast tissue. A wire localized excisional biopsy is a surgical procedure, and requires a short recovery period, but allows your doctor to determine with greater certainty whether your affected breast tissue is abnormal.
What should I expect?
- One of dedicated breast radiologists or surgeons inserts a thin, hollow needle into your breast and pushes a thin wire through the needle to find the precise location of your affected breast tissue.
- They may use several digital mammograms to help guide the placement of both the needle and the wire.
- Then needle is then removed, but the wire is left in place.
- You then undergo a surgical procedure to remove the affected breast tissue as well as the wire.
- A digital mammogram and/or ultrasound are then completed of the tissue removed to verify that the abnormality has been removed. There is a small chance that the lesion will be missed. Because the areas your surgeon is targeting are microscopic, and not palpable, there is a minimal risk that the targeted area will not be in the specimen, and additional tissue will need to be removed.
- Our dedicated breast pathologist will examine the tissue and you will receive the results as soon as possible. Most patients wait approximately five to seven days for their results.
