As breast cancer screening with mammography increases, many impalpable breast lesions are being detected. These lesions should first and foremost be definitively diagnosed by using image-guided needle biopsy. Thus, breast biopsy with needle localization is used for the diagnosis of impalpable breast lesions.
After needle biopsy, some of these lesions may require diagnostic or therapeutic surgical biopsy. If a malignant or indefinite diagnosis is obtained, surgical excision is indicated. This, in turn, requires accurate localization of the lesion, which is required to ensure correct and adequate removal of the lesions and to minimize the degree of cosmetic disfigurement.