PREOPERATIVE RADIOGRAPHICALLY GUIDED WIRE MARKING OF NONPALPABLE BREAST-LESIONS

In 37 women with possibly malignant lesions detected at radiography of the breast, 42 excisional biopsies were performed using preoperative guide wire marking at radiography. The wire transfixed or missed the lesion by less than 1 cm in 95% of the cases, and in all but 3 cases a precise localization was obtained with only 1 wire. Full removal of the lesion was obtained at the 1st excision in 40 procedures, and a 2nd excision was necessary in only 2 patients. Minor wound complications occurred in 2 patients. The malignancy rate was 13.5% and metastatic lymph node involvement was not observed in any of the patients. The localization method described is easy to perform and highly recommendable.