Cleanliness Technique in Breast and Axillary Image-Guided Procedures: Best Practices to Minimize Infection.

Overview

Breast image-guided procedures play a critical role in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer, serving as the gold standard for tissue sampling and preoperative localization. These minimally invasive procedures carry a very low risk of complications, with postprocedural infections occurring in fewer than 0.2% of cases. However, given the high volume of breast interventions performed annually, the potential impact of infections remains significant. Despite this, published guidelines addressing procedural cleanliness techniques in breast imaging are sparse and often provide conflicting recommendations, leading to variability in clinical practice and resource utilization. The lack of clear and specific guidance creates challenges for radiologists navigating institutional policies and best practice implementation. This review synthesizes existing standards and guidelines, evaluating the supporting evidence to propose an evidence-based best practice approach for maintaining clean techniques in breast image-guided procedures. By standardizing cleanliness protocols, we aim to enhance patient care, optimize procedural success, and promote consistency across breast imaging practices.