fine-needle aspiration biopsy

Another type of biopsy, called fine-needle aspiration biopsy, yields cells rather than a tissue sample, so the pathologist is able to assess only cellular features and not the architectural characteristics of the tissue suspected of harboring a tumor. Nevertheless, fine-needle aspiration has many positive qualities. It is relatively painless and…

The latter technique, called fine-needle aspiration biopsy, is accomplished by inserting the needle into the area of interest and applying suction to draw the tissue into the needle. A needle biopsy is often used to obtain specimens from breast masses. For example, a three-dimensional surgical technique known as stereotaxic…