Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Breast Biopsy in Korea: A 10-Year Follow-Up Experience

Beyond the Needle: Understanding Tissue Marker Migration in Breast MRI-Guided Biopsies

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the frequency and factors associated with clip migration in MRI-guided breast biopsies.

METHODS

This study was approved by our Institutional Review Board and was compliant with HIPAA. We retrospectively evaluated all MRI-guided biopsies performed between January 2013 and December 2020 in our institution for clip migration. Only patients with follow-up breast MRI showing the clip were included in the study. Migration was defined as movement of the clip of 10 mm or more from the target lesion. Migration frequency and directions were recorded. Factors associated with clip migration were analyzed using statistical tests as appropriate.

RESULTS

A total of 291 biopsies in 268 women were included in the study with 31 migration events recorded (11%; 95% CI, 7%-15%). All migrations occurred along the biopsy tract; 97% (30/31) of them displaced distal to the needle entry site. More than 50% regional fat (around the target lesion) was the strongest factor associated with migration, seen in 21/141 women (15%), compared to 10/150 (7%) with 50% or less local fat (P = .023). Global fatty breast was more loosely associated with migration, showing borderline significance (P = .06). Other factors did not correlate with clip migration, including lesion size, depth, or location; pathology result; breast thickness; or biopsy approach.

CONCLUSION

Although clip migration after breast MRI-guided biopsy is an uncommon event, it occurs more often when the target lesion is surrounded by fat, with the clip usually displaced away from the needle entry site.

Application value of MRI-guided wire localization to the non-palpable breast lesions only shown in Breast MRI

Introduction

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided wire localization can be applied to assist to remove suspected breast lesions accurately. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical application value of this technique in Chinese women.

Methods

A total of 126 patients (131 lesions) who had underwent such technique in our hospital from April 2017 to June 2023 were enrolled. 1.5T MRI system and a wire localization device were used. Image characteristics, clinical features and postoperative pathology were collected and analyzed.

Results

All of 126 patients (131 lesions) were successfully localized by MRI and excised for biopsy. There were 39 malignant lesions (29.77%) and 92 benign lesions (70.23%). There was no significant correlation between the morphology of DCE-MRI and the ratio of malignant lesions (P=0.763), while there was a statistical correlation between the BPE, TIC curve and the malignancy rate (P<0.05). All the lesions were assessed according to BI-RADS category of MRI (C4A=77, C4B=40, C4C=12, C5=2). The malignancy rates were as follows: 16.88% for 4A lesions (13/77), 37.50% for 4B lesions (15/40), 75.00% for 4C lesions (9/12) and 100% for 5 lesions (2/2). There was a significant correlation between the BI-RADS category and the incidence of benign-to-malignant lesions (P<0.001).

Conclusion

MRI-guided wire localization can assist to remove suspected breast lesions early, safely and accurately. This technique makes up for the deficiency of X-ray and ultrasound, improves the accuracy of diagnosis and resection therapy in intraductal carcinoma and early invasive carcinoma, and helps to improve the the prognosis of breast cancer.

[MRI-Guided Breast Intervention: Biopsy and Needle Localization]

In Korea, the number of institutions providing breast MRI, as well as the number of breast MRIs, has recently increased. However, MRI-guided procedures, including biopsy and needle localization, are rarely performed compared to ultrasound-guided or stereotactic biopsy. As breast MRI has high sensitivity but limited specificity, lesions detected only on MRI require pathologic confirmation through MRI-guided biopsy or surgical excision with MRI-guided needle localization. Thus, we aimed to review MRI-guided procedures, including their indications, techniques, procedural considerations, and limitations.

Challenges in MRI-Guided Breast Biopsy and Some Suggested Strategies: Case Based Review

With the increasing use of MRI in clinical practice, the need for MRI-guided intervention is also increasing. Indeterminate lesions identified on MRI without mammographic or sonographic correlates will need to be approached under MRI guidance. MRI-guided biopsy is a skill that can be acquired with proper training and guidance. These procedures have their own set of challenges and issues; some of them are specific to the patient habitus in this region. Adequate knowledge and understanding of the challenges can help the radiologist to be better equipped to face these issues and solve them promptly during the procedure, thus increasing the overall success rate of the procedure. Not much local data from Asian countries is available on this front. This paper aims to share common challenges one may face while performing MRI-guided biopsy and share some tips and tricks to address these problems. Hopefully, this will help the readers achieve a higher success rate for MRI-guided interventions in their clinical practice.