Stereotactic biopsy, also known as stereotactic core biopsy, is a biopsy procedure that uses a computer and imaging performed in at least two planes to localize a target lesion (such as a tumor or microcalcifications in the breast) in three-dimensional space and guide the removal of tissue for examination by a pathologist under a microscope. Stereotactic core biopsy makes use of the underlying principle of parallax to determine the depth or "Z-dimension" of the target lesion.
Stereotactic core biopsy is extensively used by radiologists specializing in breast imaging to obtain tissue samples containing microcalcifications, which can be an early sign of breast cancer.
X-ray-guided stereotactic biopsy is used for impalpable lesions that are not visible on ultrasound.[1]
A stereotactic biopsy may be used, with x-ray guidance, for performing a fine needle aspiration for cytology and needle core biopsy to evaluate a breast lesion. However, that type of biopsy is also sometimes performed without any imaging guidance,[2] and typically, stereotactic guidance is used for core biopsies or vacuum-assisted mammotomy.[3]
Stereotactic core biopsy is necessary for evaluating atypical appearing calcifications found on mammogram of the breast. If the calcifications exhibit the classic "teacup" appearance of benign fibrocystic changes, then a biopsy is usually not necessary.[4]
This article incorporates public domain material from Dictionary of Cancer Terms. U.S. National Cancer Institute.