Occult lesions identified with BSGI can be localized using multi-modality imaging for needle biopsy

Dr. Jocelyn Rapelyea, Associate Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., demonstrated how occult lesions identified with Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) can be localized utilizing multi-modality imaging for needle biopsy as well, as for pre-operative localization today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

BSGI was conducted using a Dilon 6800 Gamma Camera, a high-resolution, small field-of-view gamma camera, optimized to perform this molecular breast imaging procedure. With BSGI, the patient receives a pharmaceutical tracing agent that is absorbed by all the cells in the body. Due to their increased rate of metabolic activity, cancerous cells in the breast absorb a greater amount of the tracing agent than the normal surrounding tissue and generally appear as "hot spots" on the BSGI image.

The exhibit demonstrated how to use minimally invasive approaches to biopsy BSGI detected occult lesions using correlative imaging with mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and BSGI. In addition, it describes a technique for preoperative bracketing to guide lumpectomy procedures. The lesions biopsied in this study included invasive cancer, Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), ADH, lobular neoplasia as well as benign lesions including fibroadenomas, fat necrosis and FDC.