New directions in breast biopsy: review of current minimally invasive methods and presentation of a new coaxial technique.

Minimally invasive core breast biopsy methods are replacing hook-wire-guided surgery wherever ultrasound and stereotactic equipment are available. Cost efficiency is improved, but sampling errors inherent in these techniques cause underestimations of malignancy and the degree of invasiveness in a small but significant number of patients. Diagnostic accuracy improves with increasing specimen weight.

Imaging of hydrosalpinx with torsion following tubal sterilization.

Hydrosalpinx following tubal sterilization has been observed with increasing frequency. Women who have had PID or who have used IUDs might be at risk of developing this condition because they may already have occluded tubes from prior salpingitis. If a previously occluded tube is ligated or cauterized so that a second occlusion is created, hydrosalpinx may be anticipated.

Hydrosalpinx and tubal torsion: a late complication of tubal ligation.

Two women who had been sterilized by tubal ligation or cautery experienced recurrent pelvic pain several years later, and cystic adnexal masses were recognized in both patients. Both patients had bilateral hydrosalpinges with unilateral torsion and gangrene. These cases suggest there may be a predisposition to hydrosalpinx and tubal torsion following tubal ligation if the fimbriated end of the fallopian tube becomes occluded.