Is a Breast Tissue Biopsy Mandatory with a Mastopexy?

        A breast lift specimen that consists of only skin  usually does not merit pathological evaluation.

 

 

 

Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

If your PS removes mostly skin and minimal tissue, then no biopsy is sent. If more tissue is removed that includes breast tissue, I would send to pathology just to rule out a cancer.   

Some hospitals require that any breast tissue removed be sent to pathology to ruleout any breast cancer.   Generally, we all do this for breast reductions where the glandular breast tissue is removed.    
With a breast lift, skin is the only thing removed and the breast tissue is simply rearranged.  In these cases, it is usually not necessary to send the skin specimen.

I would recommend contacting your plastic surgeon for their opinion and recommendations.

Dr. Gill

It would be common to have the breast tissue examined in an insurance-covered breast reduction but not in a cosmetic breast lift. In the truest form of a breast lift, only skin is removed and there would be no reason to have that pathologically evaluated. If a breast mass was discovered during surgery, however, it would be appropriate to send it for evaluation.

In most mastopexies, some tissue is removed in the contouring of the breast. If this is the case, sending the tissue to be evaluated by a pathologist is done by some surgeons.