Clinical analysis of stereotactic or ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy in the diagnosis of breast micro calcifications

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the clinical value of stereotactic vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (SVAB) or ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (USVAB) in the diagnosis of breast micro calcifications. Methods: A total of seventy-five patients with breast micro calcifications diagnosed by mammography between January 2014 and January 2015 underwent SVAB or USVAB. The lesions were excised in patients diagnosed as breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ by biopsy. The histopathological and imaging features of the specimens were compared. Results: Forty-six lesions appearing as clustered calcifications were completely removed, six lesions were partially removed, and 17 lesions appearing as regional calcifications were partially removed. Pathological diagnosis showed 32 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ, 3 cases of infiltrating ductal carcinoma, 11 cases of infiltrating lobular carcinoma, and 29 cases of benign lesions. All of the patients were followed up for 6-24 months, with an average of 16 months. Three patients suffered bleeding at the puncture site and subcutaneous ecchymosis was observed in 2 patients. No recurrence was found in patients with breast cancer and the incision healed well. The appearance of the breast was satisfactory with no signs of malignancy. Conclusion: Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VAB) can be used to diagnose breast micro calcifications effectively and reliably. It is accurate, minimally invasive, and has less postoperative complications.