Magnetic resonance imaging-guided preoperative breast localization using “freehand technique”

A 1.5 cm focus in the breast with intense gadolinium uptake was incidentally detected during magnetic resonance (MR) imaging evaluation of a cluster of microcalcifications. Because the apparent mass was both mammographically and sonographically occult, MR imaging was used to guide a needle by "freehand technique" to the lesion, permitting successful pre-operative localization and subsequent surgical excision of the area.