MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: Comparison with stereotactically guided and ultrasound-guided techniques

Abstract

Objectives: To analyse the development of MRI-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) in Switzerland and to compare the procedure with stereotactically guided and ultrasoundguided VAB. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of VABs between 2009 and 2011. A total of 9,113 VABs were performed. Of these, 557 were MRI guided. Results: MRI-guided VAB showed the highest growth rate (97%) of all three procedures. The technical success rates for MRI-guided, stereotactically guided and ultrasoundguided VAB were 98.4% (548/557), 99.1% (5,904/5,960) and 99.6% (2,585/2,596), respectively. There were no significant differences (P =0.12) between the MRI-guided and the stereotactically guided procedures. The technical success rate for ultrasound-guided VAB was significantly higher than that for MRI-guided VAB (P< 0.001). There were no complications using MRI-guided VAB requiring open surgery. The malignancy diagnosis rate for MRI-guided VAB was similar to that for stereotactically guided VAB (P= 0.35). Conclusion: MRI-guided VAB is a safe and accurate procedure that provides insight into clinical breast findings. Key points • Three vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VAB) procedures were compared. • Technical success rates were high for all three VAB procedures. • Medical complications were relatively low using all three VAB procedures. • The use of MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy is growing. © The Author(s) 2013.