According to Dr. Gatewood, \"The ATEC biopsy device has multiple advantages which allow it to be used in any scenario for breast biopsy, including dense breasts, cystic masses, random masses and small lesions.\"
I can be more precise with the ATEC biopsy device,” explains Jason Gatewood, M.D., Lead Interpreting Radiologist at the Saint Luke’s South Hospital Goppert Breast Center. “I don’t have to force it, and that gives me more control of the needle allowing me to be precise.” Dr. Gatewood has experience with most of the biopsy devices available for ultrasound guidance, and prefers the ATEC vacuum-assisted breast biopsy device. “The ATEC biopsy device has multiple advantages which allow it to be used in any scenario for breast biopsy, including dense breasts, cystic masses, random masses and small lesions.”
Located in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City, the Goppert Breast Center offers women access to state-of-the art imaging, as well as surgical and diagnostic techniques, including non-invasive image-guided biopsies. The staff performs about 250 biopsies annually, half of which are done under ultrasound-guidance.
Precision is Key to Biopsies of Multiple Masses Near an Implant
According to Dr. Gatewood, the ATEC is a multi-purpose device offering a unique combination of features including a sharp tip, fully closed system and lavage capabilities for managing hematomas. “The ATEC biopsy device doesn’t fire and I can acquire multiple tissue samples without retracting the needle. Overall, the ATEC has all of the features I need.”
One of Dr. Gatewood’s recent cases illustrates the precision of the ATEC device. The patient had two masses that needed to be biopsied, both near an implant, and there was a very small amount of tissue between the skin and the implant. “I didn’t want to use a firing device,” states Dr. Gatewood. “I wanted to be able to direct the needle with precision. With the ATEC, I was able to very slowly position the needle between the skin and the implant without causing any other problems.”
After inserting the needle into the mass, Dr. Gatewood took multiple tissue samples without removing the needle. “This is extremely important,” explains Dr. Gatewood. “When you are working in a small space, once you get the needle in the right position, you want to keep it there. The procedure is riskier if you go in and out with the needle multiple times and have to find the right spot over and over again.”
This case also demonstrates the importance of the ATEC device’s unique vacuum function, which allows radiologists to remove multiple tissue samples through one small opening in the aperture. “The vacuum feature allows us to get nice, large samples even from very small lesions,” states Dr. Gatewood.
The ATEC device’s vacuum function pulls breast tissue into the needle, and a rotating tube inside the needle cuts the tissue sample from the rest of the breast. Without withdrawing and reinserting the needle, you can rotate the position of the needle and collect additional samples.
Dr. Gatewood feels that the ability to collect multiple tissue samples without retracting the needle reduces the overall procedure time, which is very important to patients. “The more time the needle remains in the breast, the more anxious patients become about the procedure.
“I really like the ATEC device’s lavage capabilities, which allow us to manage a hematoma,” continues Dr. Gatewood. “We just turn on the lavage function and it suctions the blood out, allowing us to locate the source of bleeding under ultrasound. We haven’t found other biopsy systems that provide this feature. If you cannot remove the blood, you can see the hematoma getting bigger but can’t tell where the bleeding is coming from. In some cases, we can no longer visualize the target and may have to stop the procedure.”
“Overall the ATEC device has all the features I am looking for in an ultrasound-guided biopsy system,” Dr. Gatewood says. “It has multiple functions that allow it to be used in any scenario in regard to breast biopsies. It is the only needle I need.”
Case study supplied by Hologic Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of Dr. Jason Gatewood and are not necessarily those of Hologic. This information is intended for medical professionals in the U.S. and other markets and is not intended as a product solicitation or promotion where such activities are prohibited. Because Hologic materials are distributed through websites, eBroadcasts and tradeshows, it is not always possible to control where such materials appear. For specific information on what products are available for sale in a particular country, please contact your local Hologic representative or write to [email protected].
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February 06, 2026 
