Benefits and Risks- MRI Guided Breast Biopsy

Benefits

• An MRI guided breast biopsy is less invasive than surgical biopsy and leaves little or no scarring and can be performed in less than an hour.
• An MRI guided breast biopsy does not involve exposure to ionizing radiation.
• An MRI guided breast biopsy takes less time than surgical biopsy, causes less damage and is less costly.
• Recovery time is brief and patients can soon resume their usual activities.

Risks

• There is a risk of bleeding and forming hematoma, or a collection of blood at the biopsy site. The risk however, is very minimal and appears to be less than 1% in patients.
• An occasional patient has significant discomfort which can be readily controlled by non-prescription pain medication.
• Any procedure where the skin is penetrated carries a risk of infection.
• A guided breast biopsy carries a slight risk of a collapsed lung if the chest wall is penetrated. This is a rare occurrence.