Resection margins in ultrasound-guided breast-conserving surgery

Few published studies have shown the benefits of intraoperative ultrasound in avoiding inadequate margins in breast-conserving surgery. The aim of this study is to quantify intraoperative ultrasound margin size and assess its relationship to tumor size, multifocality, palpability, histology, and presence of intraductal component. Patients with breast cancer undergoing breast-conserving surgery in whom the operating surgeon visualized the tumor by ultrasound were included. Ultrasound margins measured intraoperatively were prospectively recorded and compared with pathology margins. Forty-five patients with 48 tumors were included. Twenty five patients (56%) had palpable tumors. Pathologic mean tumor size was 1.9 cm [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6–2.2 cm, range 0.5–4.8 cm]. There was good correlation between closest margins recorded by ultrasound and pathology margins (r = 0.4674, P