What technique involves inserting a needle or wire to identify suspicious breast tissue?

The technique that involves inserting a needle or wire to identify suspicious breast tissue is wire localization. This procedure is typically used when a breast lesion cannot be felt during a physical examination, making it difficult to locate during surgery. A thin wire is inserted into the breast tissue, guided by imaging techniques such as mammography or ultrasound, to mark the exact location of the abnormality. This allows the surgeon to accurately remove the tissue that needs to be biopsied or excised, ensuring that the area of concern is effectively targeted.

In contrast, an incisional biopsy involves the surgical removal of a portion of the tissue for examination but does not inherently involve wire localization for guiding the procedure. Silverman needle biopsy is a technique that involves using a special needle to obtain tissue samples but is not specifically designed for localization purposes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is primarily an imaging modality and does not involve the physical insertion of a needle or wire; instead, it aids in the assessment and visualization of breast abnormalities. Each of these techniques serves distinct purposes in the context of breast tissue evaluation and diagnosis, highlighting the specific role of wire localization in accurate tissue identification prior to surgical intervention.