Performance of a newly developed clip (Tumark registered Professional) for MRI-guided lesion localization after MRI-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy - first results

Evaluation of a newly developed Clip (Tumark Professional) for MRI-guided lesion localization after MRI-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) with regard to the exactness of positioning, migration, and visibility on mammography (MG), ultrasound (US) and MR imaging (MRI). 27 consecutive patients with 29 suspicious breast lesions detected with MRI were prospectively evaluated. The location of the lesion was determined with Tumark (Somatex, Teltow, Germany) after MRI-guided VAB. The distance between the clip and lesion was measured via MRI. The qualitative visibility of the clip was assessed by means of a 5-point scale from very good (1 point) to not visible (5 points). The analysis was performed for MG, US and MRI separately. Clip movement was measured via MG. 9 lesions were malignant (31 %). All but one lesion (96 %) were able to be localized exactly with a clip-lesion distance of = 10 mm. The Tumark was visible in 27 cases (93.1 %) in US and in 25 cases (86.2 %) in MRI. The visibility of the clip was moderate for both modalities (mean 3.2 points). Its visibility in MG was always very good (1 point). The clip position was stable at the time of short term follow-up (1 - 7 months; mean deviation 4.5 mm). Precise positioning of the Tumark Professional is usually possible. The clip is mostly visible in US. At the time of short-term follow-up, there was no relevant movement. Therefore, Tumark seems to be suitable for MRI-guided lesion localization after MRI-guided VAB of suspicious breast lesions. Further improvement of US visibility would be beneficial. (orig.)