We wanted to know the results and the usefulness of placing a marker clip (a surgical titanium clip) after ultrasound (US)-guided excisional mammotome biopsy for breast lesion.

We have placed marker clips at the biopsy sites after performing US-guided excisional mammotome biopsies in 24 cases (mean age; 46 years, mean size of the 12.6 mm, pathologic results; benign in 19 cases, malignant in 5 cases) from Nov. 2003 to Jun. 2004. We designed the needle that we used. Twenty-five cases of follow-up sonography (at 1-month follow-up; 13 cases, at 6-months follow-up; 12 cases) were performed for 18 cases of clip placement. We retrospectively reviewed the success rate and the complications for 24 cases of clip placement, and we analyzed the visibility, conspicuity and location of the clips on 25 cases of follow-up sonography for 18 cases of clip placement.

The marker clip is successfully placed in all 24 cases (100%). None of the patients complained of pain or infection, except for 1 case of a large hematoma (3.5 cm). On the follow-up sonography, the titanium clip was well visualized as a short echogenic line on the interval follow-up (for the 1-month follow-up; 85%, for the 6 month follow-up; 84%) and parenchymal composition of the breast was well observed at the location of the clip (intraparenchymal; 80%, parenchyma-fat interface; 90%). The clips were easily found when there was hematoma (85%) or scar (89%). Marker clips were found within the hematoma, scar or the distorted region of tissue in all cases (100%), and there was no evidence of migration on the post-biopsy findings.

Marker clip placement after US-guided excisional mammotome biopsy is a simple, inexpensive and successful (100%) procedure without any significant complications. Because the maker clips were easily found and well visualized within the biopsy site on follow-up sonography, clip placement was useful as a post-biopsy marker.