Abstract
The Hand-Free method was designed as an original method that combines aspiration biopsy cytology with ultrasonography. A clinicocytologic study was performed on 178 cases. The conventionl method was used in 77 cases and the Hand-Free method in 101 cases, with ultrasonic aspiration biopsy cytology of breast tumors in which the diagnosis had been histologically confirmed during 1988-1993 in our clinical establishment. We this time compared the overall diagnostic accuracy rates of the two methods. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate of the conventional method was 85.7%(66/77), while that of the Hand-Free method was 91.1%(92/101). In up to T1 (Japanese Breast Cancer Society) cases, the diagnostic accuracy rate of the conventional method was 55.6%(4/8cases), and that of the Hand-Free method 94.8%(46/49cases), a stutistically significant difference. Of T0 and Tis cases that could not be diagnosed by the conventional method, 83.3%(10/12cases) could be diagnosed by the Hand-Free method. The above results indicate that the Hand-Free method has high sensitivity and consistent reliability. We consider that the Hand-Free method is a useful method of biopsy aspiration cytology for small breast tumors.
