ABSTRACT
The commonest type of vacuum-assisted large-bore biopsy system used with ultrasound guidance is the Mammotome™ (Ethicon, Endosurgery, Cincinnati, OH). There are other systems such as the SenoCore 360™ (SenoRx Inc, Aliso Viejo, CA) which uses a radiofrequency tip to penetrate the tissue and the Vacora™ (Bard Biopsy Systems, Tempe, AZ) which is self-contained. All three systems use a rotating circular blade to cut the core of tissue. The Mammotome has the advantage of being able to take multiple cores without having to reinsert the needle. There is also the ABBI (Advanced Breast Biopsy Instrumentation System; United States Surgical Corporation, Norwalk, CT), which does not employ vacuum, but uses much bigger cannulae (up to 20 mm) to take specimens with the rotating blade.
