Ultrasound Guided Breast Core Biopsy
Date issued: June 2026
Review date: June 2028
Leaflet section: Breast Care
PDF: Ultrasound Guided Breast Core Biopsy.pdf [pdf] 142KB
West Devon and East Cornwall Breast Screening Service
You have been referred for a needle core biopsy of the breast.
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.
It is a good idea to attend wearing a comfortable close-fitting bra e.g., a sports bra.
Your appointment will last approximately 40 minutes.
Biopsy Procedure:
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The skin and area in the breast 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 breast, accurately positioned by watching the needle with ultrasound at the same time as putting the needle into the breast.
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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, and later you may well have bruising. We try to minimise this by pressing firmly on the area for at least 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 unit, apply firm pressure to the area for at least 5 minutes. If you are worried, please phone the breast unit (8:30am to 5pm), or 111 if out of hours.
After the Biopsy
You will be given an information leaflet about after-care of the area.
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 often ready within 2 weeks of the biopsy, but sometimes it can take longer to be sure. The breast care team will contact you when the result is available. Please phone the Breast Care Nurses on 01752 431898 if you have not been contacted within 3 weeks of the biopsy, or if you have any concerns or require further information. 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.
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
