Directional Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy

Directional vacuum assisted breast biopsy (VAB) is a modified and improved technique of large core breast biopsy. It allows faster acquisition of contiguous, multiple cores with single needle insertion. A 10-fold greater tissue volume is obtained per core with VAB compared with core needle biopsy. VAB can be used under stereotactic, ultrasound or MRI guidance. Large samples make VAB almost equivalent to surgical biopsy. VAB is an accurate and reliable technique to obtain histologic diagnosis of malignant or benign breast lesions and assists therapeutic decisions. We conducted a study to assess the role of VAB in patients with previously equivocal biopsies for breast masses suspicious for cancer.