Biopsy Services

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Your GP or Surgeon may refer you to our practice to complete a biopsy to prepare for surgery or to allow them to check if a suspicious artifact needs following up. 

Fine Needle Aspiration and Ultrasound Core Biopsy

A small sample of your breast tissue is taken via a needle for analysis by a Laboratory. 

The Radiologist will use Ultrasound to guide the needle and will numb the area beforehand with anesthetic so you will not feel any pain. You will be lying down on the ultrasound bed and will be kept as comfortable as possible. 

Hookwire insertion

Before breast surgery your surgeon may refer you to us in order for our Radiologist to place a small metal wire in the breast in order to guide the surgeon to the area of interest. The wire will be placed under local anesthetic and then taped up in preparation for your surgery. The Radiologist uses Ultrasound or Mammography to guide the placement. 

Vacuum Assisted Biopsy

This procedure is similar to Ultrasound Core Biopsy except it is performed using our mammogram machine and may involve taking larger samples of breast tissue for the laboratory to analyze. You will sit on a chair and be made as comfortable as possible by our team, including having anesthetic applied to the area before the procedure. 

A tiny marker may be inserted at the same time in order to guide future surgeries to the area of interest. You will not be able to feel this marker nor does it pose any health risk.