
ADVANCE PREPARATION You can inject RFID tags into breast tumors up to 30 days before surgery.
We use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to mark non-palpable breast tumors. Because the capsule does not migrate, you can inject it up to 30 days before surgery. The technique is simple: a radiologist injects the RFID capsule into the tumor within the breast tissue under fluoroscopy it's similar to how they microchip your pets. The patient goes home soon afterwards. Patients much prefer the RFID tag to wire needle localization, in which a wire protrudes out of the breast.
Kristine Alessandrini, BSN, RN, CNOR
UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center
Los Angeles, Calif.
kaless@mednet.ucla.edu