Background: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is used routinely in the management of palpable breast lumps; with the implementation of the stereotactic technique its use has been extended to the investigation of mammographic abnormalities. The advent of breast screening means that many mammographic abnormalities will be detected; because routine open biopsy is impractical and undesirable, stereotactic fine needle aspiration becomes the method of choice for investigation.
Method: Within a 28 month interval, 81 Chinese women underwent stereotactic FNA in Kwong Wah Hospital, Hong Kong.
Results: Fifty-one women (62.9%) had a benign cytology result and no further investigations were required. Inconclusive results were obtained in 18.6% of the aspirates. Open biopsy was required in 16 women (19.8%).
Conclusion: Stereotactic FNA is very useful in the exclusion of malignancy and the avoidance of open biopsy in asymptomatic women who have mammographic abnormalities.