A selective approach to outpatient breast biopsy under local anesthesia.

Outpatient breast biopsy was recommended for women who had a clinically benign, relatively small, accessible breast mass and for a few women with clinical cancer who would not consent to biopsy and possible mastectomy under general anesthesia. Inpatient biopsy under general anesthesia, with possible immediate mastectomy, was recommended for women who had clinical cancer, a large mass or a mass deep within a large breast, and to a few women psychologically unfit for local anesthesia. The incidence of malignancy was 8% in the 153 outpatients and 45% in the 114 inpatients. The incidence of complications between the two groups was not significantly different. The total cost of inpatient biopsy under general anesthesia was over five times higher than that of outpatient biopsy under local anesthesia. Outpatient breast biopsy is a satisfactory approach for appropriately selected patients.