This is a test where a sample of tissue is taken out of the organ or the lump that your doctor is concerned about.
To do this an ultrasound machine is used to accurately locate the lump or the part of the organ that needs to be tested. The radiology specialist doctor will then inject local anaesthetic into the skin and the underlying tissues (you will feel a needle prick) to make the area numb. Then a small cut will be made in the skin, just enough to allow the needle to pass through the skin. The core biopsy needle will then be inserted through the skin into the lump or the part of the organ of concern. Once the position of the core biopsy needle is confirmed with ultrasound, the core biopsy needle is deployed (you will hear a loud clicking noise) and this will take a small tissue sample. This sample is larger than that taken in a fine needle biopsy, but smaller than that taken in a surgical biopsy. The specimen will be sent to the pathology company for testing. The pathology company performs several tests, which may take 2 – 3 days. The pathology company sends the results directly to your doctor.
The radiology department will give you pictures of the biopsy. This is a record of where the biopsy was taken from, but is not the final results (which come directly from the pathology company to your doctor). A dressing will be placed on the needle entry site. Please keep the dressing intact for at least 2 days. It will be water proof so you can shower normally. There may be some bruising after the biopsy, so a cold pack applied 4 times a day for approximately 30 minutes each time, for two days may be beneficial. After 2 – 3 days, if the dressing has not fallen off already, you may remove the dressing. If there is still some oozing or bleeding, a simple bandaid can be applied to the site.