Less invasive biopsy offered at Brunswick Community Hospital

Women in Brunswick county no longer need to leave the county or go under the knife for a breast biopsy.

Brunswick Community Hospital is now offering a less invasive method to screen for breast cancer.

It’s called a stereo-tactic breast biopsy. The procedure only requires a small incision. It can be completed in less than an hour. Doctors say it’s the most practical and efficient method to screen for breast cancer.

“This allows with a very tiny needle to be able to access the area in question and it’s actually vaccum assisted–it removes that section of breast tissue that you need to remove and then all you need is a band-aid afterwards,” said Dr. Mark Tillotson, a general surgeon at Brunswick. “So it allows people to go about their business that very same day and you can get the same amount of information.”

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is already doing the procedure. At Brunswick, it will be performed in a mobile unit at the hospital every other week.