Breast tissue markers: Why? What's out there? How do I choose?

Abstract

Tissue marker placement after image-guided breast biopsy has become a routine component of clinical practice. Marker placement distinguishes multiple biopsied lesions within the same breast, prevents re-biopsy of benign lesions, enables multi-modality correlation, guides pre-operative localization and helps confirm surgical target removal. Numerous breast tissue markers are currently available, with varied shapes, composition, and associated bio-absorbable components. This review serves to familiarize the breast interventionalist with the tissue markers most widely available in the United States today and to provide guidance regarding selection of appropriate markers for various clinical settings.

Keywords: Breast biopsy clip; Breast localization; Breast tissue marker.