In patients with invasive breast cancer, current guidelines define clear or adequate surgical resection margins as no tumour on ink in order to ensure complete surgical excision[1,2]. In those patients with positive surgical resection margins, surgical treatment options range from re-excision of the surgical cavity to mastectomy. While breast MRI can prove useful in the pre-operative setting to determine extent of tumour, there is limited evidence for the use of post-operative MRI to detect residual tumour in patients with positive margins. Krammer et al determined a sensitivity and specificity of 72% and 73% respectively for detection of residual disease at the surgical resection cavity [3]. The sensitivity and specificity for detection of multifocal or multicentric disease however, rose to 90% and 96% respectively. Young Chae et al emphasised in their study the importance of the combined use of morphologic and kinetic parameters when assessing postoperative MRI for the detection of residual disease [4].

The aim of this study was to review breast MRIs performed post-operatively at our institution:

• ·     to determine their ability to detect additional disease distant from the resection margins
• ·      to elucidate if this altered patient management.