Mammatome procedure explained Exceptional healthcare, personally delivered
Your surgeon has suggested or recommended that you have a procedure on your breast using the Mammotome vacuum biopsy method. You may be anxious or concerned about this procedure - not knowing exactly what to expect. This leaflet is designed to fully explain the technique, thus reducing your anxieties and worries. You can choose whether or not to have this procedure. However, if you do not we may not be able to make a full diagnosis of your condition or you may have to undergo further procedures. What is a Mammotome? The Mammotome is a system which allows us to perform keyhole surgery on the breast. There are two main reasons for suggesting its use. The first is the removal of benign (noncancerous) lumps, which is usually done because you have asked to have it removed. The second is to remove milk ducts from behind the nipple area, which is because you have a worrying or troublesome discharge from the nipple. Usually the aim with this is to check the tissue in the area and also to stop the discharge. The Mammotome method method has several advantages over conventional surgical technique. You do not need a general anaesthetic or a hospital stay. The procedure is performed using local anaesthetic in the Breast Care Centre, not an operating theatre. This dramatically reduces recovery time and hospital time. Mammotomes take, on average, about 30-45 minutes with a half hour wait in the Breast Care Centre afterwards. 2 Mammatome procedure explained
With this technique, there are no stitches, and normally, little or no external scarring. It is recommended that you do not drive yourself home after this procedure. Please arrange for transport to and from the Breast Care Centre. Please let us know at least several days in advance if you are on Warfarin or any other blood thinning agents. The Procedure You will be asked to undress to the waist and lie on the couch. The doctor will be on one side of the couch and the Mammotome machine and the ultrasound scanner on the other. The doctor will locate the breast lump or milk duct with the ultrasound scanner. Local anaesthetic will then be injected into the breast to completely numb the area. This ensures that the rest of the procedure is painless. When the local anaesthetic is injected it will be a bit uncomfortable at first, there may be a stinging sensation. This should not last for very long. Once the local anaesthetic has had time to work, a small incision (1/4, 5mm) is made into the breast, to allow the Mammotome needle to be inserted. The doctor and nurse will make sure that you are in no discomfort. Mammatome procedure explained 3
The Mammotome needle is connected to the machine with some wires and contains a rotating cutter inside it. Once the area is numb and the incision has been made the needle is inserted through the incision and beside the breast lump or nipple duct - under ultrasound control. The surgeon will then begin to remove the lump or duct by taking several tissue samples. During the procedure the Mammotome machine will make a noise - similar to a sewing machine when it is taking each sample and there will also be some sucking noises. The needle stays in place during the procedure, it doesn t have to be removed for each sample, and there will only be the one small incision. After the Procedure Once the lump has been removed, the small incision will be closed with a paper tape (Steri-Strip). This should stay in place for a few days. Your breasts will be bound tightly with crepe bandages going right around your chest. This reduces the risk of bleeding and bruising after the procedure. The plan is to leave these bandages on overnight, removing them the next morning, but if they come off or are uncomfortable, don t worry. We ask you to stay in the Breast Care Centre for half an hour after the end of the procedure. This allows us to check that there is no bleeding from the incision site. We will give you a cup of coffee or tea and a relaxing area to sit in. 4 Mammatome procedure explained
We normally write to you with the results of the tissue analysis by the pathologist. This will be sent out about a week after the procedure. Usually, after this procedure, you can resume normal activity, but strenuous household, job or sporting activities should be avoided for at least 24 hours. You probably won t need to, but it would probably be wise to plan to take the following day off work. Once the local anaesthetic has worn off (3-4 hours), you may find that your breast becomes painful or uncomfortable. This will be more of a bruised feeling than a sharp pain. It would be worthwhile taking a painkiller such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, probably before the anaesthetic wears off rather than waiting. If you have any problems after the procedure, during office hours, please phone the Breast Care Centre - 0117 4147000. Outside of this, you will have to phone your general practice. We hope that this leaflet has helped to explain the procedure. If you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Breast Care Nurse. Mammatome procedure explained 5
How to contact us: H Breast Care Centre Southmead Hospital Bristol BS10 5NB General Enquiries 0117 4147000 www.nbt.nhs.uk/breastcare If you or the individual you are caring for need support reading this leaflet please ask a member of staff for advice. North Bristol NHS Trust. This edition published December 2016. Review due December 2018. NBT003049