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MVH now performs sterotactic mammography biopsies.

Common uses of a stereotactic breast biopsy are when a mammogram shows a breast abnormality such as:

a suspicious solid mass
microcalcifications, a tiny cluster of small calcium deposits
a distortion in the structure of the breast tissue
an area of abnormal tissue change
a new mass or area of calcium deposits is present at a previous surgery site.

Stereotactic breast biopsy is also performed when the patient or physician strongly prefers a non-surgical method of assessing a breast abnormality.

Stereotactic guidance uses a vacuum-assisted device which uses a vacuum powered instrument to collect multiple tissue samples during the needle insertion.

Ultrasound biopsy procedures primarily use a core needle procedure which uses a large hollow needle to remove one sample of breast tissue per insertion but may also use the vacuum-assisted procedure when required.

Patients are advised to not wear deodorant, powder, lotion or perfume under their arms or on their breasts on the day of the exam.

The benefits of Stereotactic Biopsy are:

The procedure is less invasive than surgical biopsy, leaves little or no scarring and can be performed in less than 90 minutes.
Stereotactic breast biopsy is an excellent way to evaluate calcium deposits or tiny masses that are not visible on ultrasound.
Stereotactic core needle biopsy is a simple procedure that may be performed in an outpatient setting.
Recovery time is brief and patients can soon resume their usual activities.
When using a computer archive communications system, the images may be viewed immediately and are generally clearer than film.

Biopsy is now the most widely accepted method for definitively determining the presence or absence of cancer following detection of a breast abnormality. The latest technique to retrieve a biopsy, called stereotactic biopsy, uses advanced computerized equipment to take a very precise piece of abnormal tissue that was previously detected during a mammogram from a patient. The availability of stereotactic biopsy has significantly lowered the number of open surgical procedures performed in the health care community.

Monongahela Valley Hospital’s Medical Imaging recently opened a new area that houses such equipment. It addresses women’s unique imaging and biopsy needs in a conveniently located, woman-centric environment on the first floor of the hospital.

Patrick Alberts, Senior Vice President and COO at Monongahela Valley Hospital said, “There was a clear need for this type of service in the area and we spent more than a half million dollars so the equipment being used in the unit is the most advanced available. It avoids the need to travel out of the area and the center is accredited with the American College of Radiology and the FDA's Mammography Quality Standards Act.”

Using MVH Medical Imaging mammography services, patients now have access to digital mammography, stereotactic biopsy and ultrasound-guided biopsy as indicated. Also available are all of the possible treatment and follow-up services they may need, including surgery, image-guided radiation therapy using a linear accelerator and chemotherapy.

"Before, if we saw something on a mammogram and it didn’t show on ultrasound, we had to have patients undergo surgery. For some people it’s a real hardship. The ability to diagnose these patients at MVH this way tremendous," said Dr. Natalie Furgiuele, a breast surgeon on staff at MVH.

“If we find a cancer now, we find it much earlier," said Furgiuele, who added that when these tiny tumors are diagnosed and treated, the cure rate is almost 100 percent. These biopsy procedures require only local anesthesia and take no more than 90 minutes to complete. There is also minimal scarring, which is especially important if the lesion turns out not to be cancerous after all.”

Dr. Furgiuele also talked about the advantages of the vacuum-assisted needles that are being used during biopsies.

“Prior to receiving this equipment, if a patient had a large lesion we could biopsy it with ultrasound guidance,” she said. “But if it was a smaller one, it may be a hard target to hit. We can now ensure a pinpoint accurate sample for the pathologist increasing the chances for early detection, and therefore improve the chances of a cure.”