Ultrasound Guided Axilla Core Biopsy
Date issued: June 2026
Review date: June 2028
Leaflet section: Breast Care
PDF: Ultrasound Guided Axilla Core Biopsy.pdf [pdf] 143KB
West Devon and East Cornwall Breast Screening Service
You have been referred for an axillary node biopsy (biopsy of a lymph node in the armpit).
Please eat and drink as normal and take your usual medications before your appointment.
Please bring a list of medicines you take with you. It is particularly important to know if you take any blood-thinners, (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel, rivaroxaban, or any other tablet ending in ‘-xaban’). There is no need to stop taking such medicines before your biopsy, but if you are on Warfarin and your INR is >3.0, the biopsy will usually be deferred to another day.
What to Expect on Arrival:
Your appointment will last approximately 40 minutes. The clinician will ultrasound your armpit to check the lymph nodes. They may decide, after doing this, not to biopsy (for example, if the lymph nodes look normal). If a biopsy is indicated, the procedure will be explained to you.
Biopsy Procedure:
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The skin and area around the lymph node are made numb with an injection of local anaesthetic. A tiny cut (about 4mm) is made in the skin once numb.
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After this, a biopsy needle is placed in the armpit, accurately positioned by watching the needle with ultrasound at the same time as putting the needle into the armpit.
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The biopsy is usually pain-free or nearly pain-free. The needle makes a clicking noise that is quite loud when the biopsy is taken. If you do feel any discomfort, let the clinician know, and the clinician will inject more anaesthetic to make you comfortable.
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It is normal to bleed a little after the biopsy. You may get quite a large bruise. We try to minimise this by pressing firmly on the area for about 5 minutes after the procedure (longer if you take blood-thinners) and then put paper stitches and a dressing over the area. If the rare situation of bleeding restarting at the biopsy site after you have left the breast unit, apply firm pressure to the area for at least 5 minutes until it stops. If you are worried, please phone the breast unit (8:30am to 5pm), or 111 if out of hours.
After the Biopsy:
Most people are fine to go home almost immediately after biopsy. We recommend that you don’t do heavy lifting or strenuous manual work/exercise for the next 48 hours.
The result is usually ready within 2 weeks of the biopsy, but sometimes it can take longer to be sure. The doctor who referred you for the biopsy will give you the result, or sometimes our breast care nurses will on their behalf.
If you have any concerns or require further information, please contact the breast care nurses on 01752 431898. Please leave a message with your name, date of birth and telephone number, and a nurse will get back to you. Calls are dealt with daily, Monday to Friday
Other formats
If you need this leaflet in another format such as Braille, large print, high contrast, British Sign Language or translated into another language, contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS):
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01752 439694
