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Needle Localized Breast Surgery
- Arrive
at the designated surgery center two hours before your scheduled
surgery time. Do not eat after midnight the night before. You may drink
sips of clear liquids such as water, juice (without pulp), coffee or
tea (without cream) in moderation up to 4 hours prior to your arrival
time. No soda pop or carbonated beverages are allowed.
- Take
all medications the morning of surgery (especially high blood pressure
medications). Avoid any aspirin or aspirin-like products for one week
before surgery.
- You will be taken to
the Radiology department approximately two hours prior to the surgery.
The radiologist will review your films and then place a needle and wire
near your mammographic abnormality. Local anesthetic is used in the
skin. This is typically not all that uncomfortable as there are few
pain fibers in the breast. At the discretion of your surgeon,
Dr. Sickle-Santanello may perform this step with ultrasound guidance in
the operating room once you are sedated.
- A brief history and physical and minor blood work will be done before surgery.
- You
will be taken to the surgery pre-op holding area and an intravenous
line will be started for a mild anesthetic (twilight). This will be
supplemented with local anesthetic during surgery. You will be very
comfortable. If your surgery is for breast cancer and sentinel lymph
node mapping is performed, you will receive general anesthesia.
- Surgery
takes approximately an hour or less, you will then go to the recovery
room area. Once you are fully awake, you will be discharged.
- The
doctor will have a preliminary report on the results of your biopsy
that day. Oftentimes, the abnormalities are too small to do a frozen
section on. You will be contacted the following week with your results.
- Your incision is closed
cosmetically with all the sutures under the skin. Leave the outer
dressing on for 48 hours. Once this is removed, there will be clear
band-aids in place called steri-strips. Do not remove
these. The steri-strips will be removed at your office visit. You may
shower or get the incision wet after 48 hours. If you bathe in a tub,
do not soak the incision.
- Breast biopsies are usually not that difficult to recover from. In an effort to optimize your healing we suggest:
- Limit your activities the first 48 hours after surgery.
- Wear your bra for good support. You may even want to sleep in it the first few nights.
- Avoid vigorous physical activity for one week after surgery.
- A prescription for pain medication will be provided. Typically, only two or three pills may be needed.
- You
will be given an appointment to discuss your results and check your
wound healing in 10 to 14 days. If you experience any problems, please contact our office.
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