Minimally Invasive Breast Biopsy

Available At Waterbury Hospital

WATERBURY — Waterbury Hospital is now offering area women facing breast biopsies a less invasive alternative to an open surgical procedure.

 The hospital’s new breast diagnostic suite offers the latest in Mammotome® technology. The Mammotome technology allows doctors, in less than an hour, to biopsy suspicious tissue through a needle-size incision. Studies show biopsies performed with minimally invasive technology are as diagnostically reliable as open surgical biopsies in determining if a woman has breast cancer.

 “Now women can get an accurate diagnosis with an outpatient procedure that is less invasive, less traumatic, and easier on a her body,” said Gerald Berg, MD, director of radiology at Waterbury Hospital.

 “It’s a way to avoid the operating room altogether if it’s not breast cancer, which is the case for about 80 percent of women. We have radiologists and surgeons who are skilled at this procedure working together to do what’s best for the patient. The Breast Diagnostic Suite is working out very well. The setting is as calming and peaceful as it can be.”

The Breast Diagnostic Suite features dim lighting, framed artwork, soothing music, and the utmost in privacy for the patient, explained Mary Prybylo, chief operating officer at Waterbury Hospital. “It’s a new setting that takes the woman’s total well-being into consideration during a tense and stressful time,” she said.

 During the procedure, the patient lies on a table while the doctor places the Mammotome probe through a small incision, about the size of a match head, in the breast. Using ultrasound or X-ray imaging, the doctor can then accurately pinpoint the suspicious tissue, and gently remove it for further examination. Only a small adhesive bandage is required to cover the incision. The procedure typically takes less than an hour and women can return to normal activity immediately following the biopsy.

 “For most women, the recovery time is not long at all,” added Ms Prybylo. “Many women are able to have the procedure in the morning and go to work right afterward,” she noted.

 More than 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed each year in the United States; fortunately, the majority of biopsies are proven to be benign. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 203,500 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease.

 “Now with the advent of minimally invasive breast biopsies, there should be no reason for women to avoid a biopsy that can help them detect breast cancer at its earliest stages when it’s most curable,” added Dr Berg.