Intraoperative ultrasound is an effective and preferable technique to localize non-palpable breast tumors.

INTRODUCTION: Non-palpable breast tumors represent an increasing management problem in modern Breast Units. Therefore, a simple and accurate procedure to localize these lesions is needed. To date, the most commonly used technique is wire localization, but there are some disadvantages. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study on patients with malignant or benign non-palpable breast tumors who were surgically treated and underwent intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) from May 2006 to June 2007. Margins of excision were inked and specifically assessed by the pathologist, and were considered positive if