If a mammogram shows a suspicious-looking growth in a woman’s breast, the growth is often removed for laboratory analysis to determine whether it is benign or cancerous. Now physicians can often get the answer without performing a surgical biopsy.

They use a special computerized mammography machine to guide them in inserting a needle into the growth to collect a small sample for analysis. This less invasive alternative to surgical biopsy is called X-ray-guided or stereotactic breast biopsy.