Marking of a breast anomaly is a procedure used to place a marker/harpoon/ in the mammary gland at the level of an anomaly that is not palpated/felt/ during clinical examination and is detected only by means of imaging /ultrasound, mammography/.
It is performed before surgical biopsy or conservative breast surgery when the lesion visible on mammography and/or ultrasound examination is not palpated during physical examination.
Marking of the identified anomaly guarantees the removal of the ultrasound-suspected lesion and allows the surgeon to more easily detect and remove it during surgery, allowing for the excision of the smallest possible volume of glandular tissue.
The marker is placed by a radiologist, most often under local anesthesia.
Before the breast lesion marking procedure, it is necessary to inform the physician about all medications you are taking, especially anticoagulants /incl. Aspirin/ and all allergies, especially to local anesthetics.
On the day of the procedure, you must bring all imaging studies and their interpretations that concern the mammary glands.
Mammography and ultrasound examinations allow the radiologist to identify the lesion that needs to be marked.
The procedure for placing a marker is performed under local anesthesia and is generally not painful. If you have experienced pain during previous manipulations under local anesthesia, inform the physician about this – a larger dose of anesthetic may be administered.
It is possible that sometimes in certain people a so-called vagal reaction /which is favored by emotional stress/ may occur and they do not feel well during the procedure.
Please, inform us if you have already had this type of reaction – we may prescribe appropriate preventive treatment in advance.
Once the marker is placed:
Please, inform your physician, if you notice bleeding under the bandage or painful tension in the breast, in the hours after placing the marker.
It is recommended to avoid gestures and movements that may shift the position of the marker in the breast:
The trajectory of the marker in the mammary gland is generally not the one used by the surgeon during the surgical intervention, he reaches the marker by a different route.
No scar is formed at the place where the radiologist penetrates the skin during the insertion of the harpoon.