Complications are very rare. The biggest problem is that sometimes the cells removed are not of high enough quality to make a determination if they are cancerous or not. This means that the needle aspiration may need to be repeated, or a more formal open breast biopsy may need to be performed. This technique is performed under local anesthesia and removes a larger core of tissue for examination under the microscope. It still undergoes microscopic examination, but the pathologist handles and stains it differently.
Complications continue to be quite rare.
Since a bit more tissue is removed, there is a slightly higher risk of bruising. Narcotic pain medications are rarely needed, and almost all women are fine with simple over-the counter pills for a day or two. A band-aid will again be used and should be left in place for at least a few days. Instead of using needles to sample the palpable breast mass, an approximately 1-2 inch incision in the breast is made so the entire mass can be removed . General or straight local anesthesia may be used, but most often intravenous sedation is combined with local anesthesia to make the patient comfortable but not put them entirely to sleep.