Breast Biopsy: Risks
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Risks
The possible risks from a breast biopsy include:
- An infection at the biopsy site. An infection can be treated with antibiotics.
- Bleeding from the biopsy site.
Call your doctor immediately if:
- Your pain lasts longer than a week.
- You have redness, a lot of swelling, bleeding, or pus from the biopsy site.
- You have a fever.
Core needle and stereotactic breast biopsies may leave a small round scar; open biopsies leave a small straight line scar. The scar fades over time. A fine-needle biopsy usually does not leave a scar.
| Last updated: | May 01, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS |
| Reviewed By: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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