[Nonpalpable lesions of the breast. Diagnostic potentials of the stereotaxic-guided radiogram].

PURPOSE

To investigate the diagnostic capabilities of the stereotaxic technique in characterizing suspicious mammographic findings for which stereotaxic FNAB is indicated.

METHOD

January, 1990, through December, 1992, 871 patients underwent stereotaxic mammograms preliminary to FNAB; in 12 of them (1.4%) mammography could rule out the malignant nature of the lesions, thus making FNAB useless.

MATERIAL

Stereotaxic images were acquired with a conventional mammographic unit (Senographe 500 or 600T CGR-GE). An average 34 months' mammographic follow-up confirmed the absence of malignancy in the above patients. The most common glandular structure in these patients was investigated, together with the type of nonpalpable lesions found on conventional mammograms (opacity, local distortion or scar, microcalcification without a mass) and the reasons why FNAB was unfeasible, or useless. In our patients FNAB was unfeasible mostly in fatty breasts (9/12), while lesion type was not relevant for screening. The lesions were 5/12 distortion, 5/12 small opacities and 2/12 clusters of small microcalcifications. In 9/12 patients FNAB was not performed because the image observed on conventional exams had disappeared, in 2/12 patients with microcalcifications because they were scattered on a large glandular area and in 1/12 patients because vascular sinuosity was diagnosed.