MRI-guided breast vacuum biopsy: Localization of the lesion without contrast-agent application using diffusion-weighted imaging.

OBJECTIVE: In magnetic resonance-guided breast vacuum biopsies, the contrast agent for targeting suspicious lesions can typically be applied only once during an intervention, due to the slow elimination of the gadolinium chelate from the extracellular fluid space. This study evaluated the feasibility of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for lesion targeting in vacuum assisted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biopsies.

CONCLUSION: DWI may be used as an alternative to dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with the advantage of reproducibility. However, the targeted lesion requires the characteristics of a mass-like lesion, substantial diffusion restriction, and a minimum size of approximately 1cm.