Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Biopsy (US-FNB) with Preliminary Test Results

Because stress hormone levels increase with the time it takes for a woman to receive breast biopsy results, the radiologists at Garden State Women’s Imaging has pioneered the use of US-FNB. At Garden State Women’s Imaging our goal is to deliver an accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible. That is why we provide every woman with immediate preliminary results of her ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy, usually within 30 minutes of the procedure. Using high resolution ultrasound guidance the breast imager employs an ultra-thin needle to extract cells from breast masses, many of which cannot be felt on physical examination. We perform this type of biopsy on benign fluid-filled cysts, benign solid masses, suspicious masses and lymph nodes.

In our hands, this ultrasound-guided method of fine-needle biopsy has the same accuracy as surgical biopsy in determining if a breast mass is benign or cancerous as surgical biopsy, with significantly less trauma. Tens of thousands of these exams have been performed with results so accurate that surgeons can safely perform treatment planning from them.

The latest studies have shown that serum cortisol (an indicator of stress) levels rise the longer women have to wait for biopsy results. Over 95% of our patients receive definitive results within 30 minutes of this 20 second-long biopsy procedure.