Your physician has recommended you for a stereotactic breast biopsy. Cedars-Sinai has a team of mammography specialists led by Donald S. Cohen, MD. The role of this procedure is to obtain a tissue sample from the area of abnormality identified on your mammogram and/or breast ultrasound procedure.
A registered nurse will call you 24 hours prior to your procedure to provide you with specific information and instructions regarding your exam.
Although we do not anticipate a delay in your scheduled appointment, we recommend that you bring a magazine, a book or a music player to help you pass the time while you are waiting.
Please leave your jewelry and valuables at home.
You will change into a patient gown, removing your clothes from the waist up.
A technologist and a Cedars-Sinai imaging physician will explain your procedure and answer any questions you may have. The imaging physician will explain the risks and benefits of the procedure prior to having you sign a consent form.
You will be asked to lie face down on a special table, and your breast will be positioned through a special round opening in the table. The table will be elevated so the imaging physician and the technologist can work from below.
The first part of the procedure will seem much like your mammogram, except you are lying down instead of standing. A confirming X-ray will be taken to ensure that the area of the breast containing the abnormality is correctly centered in the window.
When the position is confirmed, two stereo X-rays will be taken. They are called stereo because they are images of the same area from different angles. With the help of the computer, the exact position for placing the biopsy needle is determined from these images.
Using this information, the physician will then position the device, which holds the biopsy needle, for the correct angle of entry.
Next, the physician will numb the biopsy area by injecting a local anesthetic into your breast. This will be done with a very tiny needle, and you may feel a slight sting in your breast at the injection site.
After the local anesthetic has taken effect, the physician will insert the biopsy needle into your breast. Another set of stereo X-rays will be taken to confirm proper needle placement. If the needle is not at the abnormality, it will be repositioned and the imaging process repeated.
Once placement is confirmed, the imaging physician will instruct you to hold very still while the tissue samples are acquired.
The needle, which now contains the sample, is withdrawn. Several more samples of the area are then acquired.
When the physician has confirmed that all the correct samples have been retrieved, a titanium clip will be deployed into the biopsy site. A set of stereo X-rays will be taken to confirm proper clip placement. This clip will mark the biopsy site for future reference.
Following this, the compression will be released from your breast.
The nurse or technologist will apply pressure to the biopsy site for five to 10 minutes to prevent bleeding.
A post procedure mammogram will be taken to document the deployment of the clip and removal of tissue samples. Afterwards, a dressing will be applied and you will be sent home.
Your exam will take approximately 90 minutes to two hours.
The RN will give you post procedure home care instructions prior to sending you home.
Your results will be given to you within 48 to 72 hours by the imaging physician.
To request copies of your pictures on a PC and MAC compatible CD, or a copy of your report, call (310) 423-8000 and follow the prompts for your selection.
If your exam is at 310 S. San Vicente:
The Marcia Israel Mammography Center is located on the northeast corner of San Vicente and Beverly Blvd, diagonally across from the main Cedars-Sinai Medical Center campus. The address is 310 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Parking is available in a lot to the north of the building on San Vicente Blvd. Parking is free with validation.
If your exam is at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center:
S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center parking is located in Lot P7 at the corner of San Vicente Boulevard and Gracie Allen Drive. Enter off Sherbourne Drive.
Parking is partially validated and validation is available in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center lobby. There is a large metal sculpture in the shape of the number "8" in front of the center.
You may also park in the Medical Center North Tower off George Burns Road.
There is a curbside patient drop-off zone on Gracie Allen Drive.
