Purpose: Localization of non-palpable suspicious breast lesions with tumor localization wires is commonly used before surgical excision. Dislocation of the wire is possible. The possibility of dislocation for different types of tumor localization wires was examined experimentally.
Methods: 22 different tumor localization wires were inserted into the subcutaneous fat-tissue of a pig. The wire tip was recorded under fluoroscopy. Traction was applied to the wire using a spring-balance. The artifact size of MR-compatible wires was examined in a 1.0 Tesla MR imager.
Results: The localization wires with an X-configuration and long hook could not be dislocated by a force up to the maximum of 12 Newton. The retractable localization wires were easily dislocated at traction forces of 1 Newton. Other wires with only one hook could withstand a traction from 2 up to 7 Newton. The wires with a Z-configuration and wires with short hooks showed a highly variable rate of resistance. The artifact size of localization systems was between 10.1 and 11.0 mm for gradient-echo sequences and between 6.7 and 7.1 mm for spin-echo sequences.
Conclusion: Tumor localization wires with an X-configuration and long hooks were best anchored in the tissue. The advantage of repositioning retractable wires is confined by the high risk of accidental dislocation. No reliable fixation in the tissue could be achieved using wires with a Z-configuration and wires with short hooks. MR-compatible wires were comparable to non-MR-compatible wires concerning the rate of resistance. The size of the artifacts of MR-compatible systems showed no relevant differences.