These are techniques for localizing non-palpable breast lesions prior to surgical removal. Your pre-op localization procedure will be scheduled by your surgeon's office. These exams are performed at the Mary Jo Cropper Family Center for Breast Care.
Radioactive Seed-Guided
A radioactive seed is placed in the suspicious area of the breast using mammography or ultrasound for guidance. The radioactivity in the seed is minimal. With this procedure, the patient’s x-ray exposure is less than that of a chest x-ray. The surgeon uses a probe in the operating room to localize and remove the seed and suspicious breast tissue.
Wire-Guided
During this procedure a wire is guided through the skin under the guidance of mammography or ultrasound to the non-palpable suspicious breast abnormality. The surgeon uses the wire to guide the surgical removal of the abnormality. As you go to surgery the day of wire placement, preoperative instructions will be provided by your surgeon.