ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess, after stereotaxic, vacuum-assisted breast biopsy, the accuracy of marker clip deployment for guiding subsequent needle localization procedures and surgery. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 100 vacuum-assisted core breast biopsies that were followed by marker clip deployment. Craniocaudal (CC) and mediolateral oblique (MLO) mammograms were used to locate clips relative to the centre of the target lesion in 5-mm increments. RESULTS: In the 94 of 100 cases adequate for review, maximum marker clip displacement of less than 10 mm on either the CC or MLO views was observed in 68 (72%) cases. In 9 (10%) cases, the localization clip was positioned more that 24 mm from the target lesion. CONCLUSION: Post-biopsy CC and MLO radiographs are recommended to identify those cases in which there is a significant difference between the location of the marker clip and the biopsied lesion.