Minimally Invasive Procedure for Removing Fibroadenomas

A minimally invasive breast biopsy system can be used to remove fibroadenomas, or benign breast lumps. The system has been cleared for this use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The breast biopsy system, called Mammotome, can be used in a doctor's office to remove noncancerous breast lumps rather than having invasive surgery in an operating room. Many women reject traditional surgery to avoid the potential scarring associated with it. Fibroadenomas are solid, round, benign tumors that are common in young women in their late teens, twenties, and thirties. The Mammotome has been used in more than 1.7 million breast biopsies since 1995.

To remove a benign lump with the Mammotome involves the one-time insertion of a special probe through a one-fourth inch incision in the breast. Guided by ultrasound, the doctor uses a handheld device to gently vacuum, cut, and remove tissue for biopsy in a procedure that usually lasts less than an hour. The incision is so small, no stitches are required, and women can resume normal activities immediately afterward.

"The cosmetic results are excellent and with this new procedure, women won't have to to into an operating room to manage the problem,” said William E. Burak, M.D., associate professor of surgery at Ohio State University (Columbus, USA; www.osu.edu) and co-author of a clinical study reported in the October 2003 issue of the American Journal of Surgery. In the study, 100% of women surveyed who had a Mammotome procedure said they would recommend it to other women. Mammotome is the product of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH, USA).




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Ethicon Endo-Surgery