Guide block for biopsy or surgical devices

In a method of imaging a patient's breast by a magnetic resonance imaging device having a grid-like breast receiving pressure plate, the improvement comprising:

• a. providing a guide block with a body which has
• i. a proximal face, a distal face, a length between the proximal face and the distal face, and a central longitudinal axis extending between the proximal face and the distal face, and
• ii. at least one passageway disposed within the body that extends between the proximal face and the distal face, which is configured to receive a tissue accessing device and which is not parallel to the central longitudinal axis;
• b. selecting a grid opening of the grid-like breast receiving pressure plate of the magnetic resonance imaging device and selecting a rotational orientation of the guide block relative to the selected grid opening to provide access to a desired location in the patient's breast;
• and
• c. inserting the guide block into the selected grid opening of the grid-like breast receiving pressure plate of the magnetic resonance imaging device at the selected rotational orientation, and advancing the guide block in the selected grid opening.

A guide block configured to be inserted into a grid opening of a grid-like breast receiving pressure plate and to guide a tissue accessing device to a desired location within a patient's breast, comprising:

• a proximal face with at least a first proximal opening;
• a distal face with at least a first distal opening, the distal face being spaced apart from the proximal face;
• a body length between the proximal face and the distal face, with a central longitudinal axis extending within the guide block between the proximal face and the distal face;
• an outer wall that extends from the distal face in a direction toward to the proximal face, wherein an extent of the outer wall is less than an extent of the body length;
• a shoulder on a proximal portion of the guide block, the shoulder being defined at least in part by the proximal face having a larger surface area than a surface area of the distal face, the outer wall intersecting the shoulder, and the shoulder configured to project radially outwardly from the outer wall;
• and
• a first passageway having a cylindrical shape, the first passageway configured to extend within the guide block between the first proximal opening in the proximal face and the first distal opening in the distal face.

A guide block configured to be inserted into a grid opening of a grid-like breast receiving pressure plate and to guide a tissue accessing device to a desired location within a patient's breast, comprising:

• a proximal face with at least a first proximal opening;
• a distal face with at least a first distal opening;
• a body length between the proximal face and the distal face, and with a central longitudinal axis extending within the guide block between the proximal face and the distal face;
• a shoulder that radially projects from the guide block, the shoulder being defined at least in part by the proximal face having a larger surface area than a surface area of the distal face;
• and
• a first passageway configured to extend within the guide block between the first proximal opening in the proximal face and the first distal opening in the distal face, the first passageway being oriented at an angle with respect to the central longitudinal axis that is not parallel to the central longitudinal axis, at least a portion of the first passageway being oriented to extend within the guide block away from the central longitudinal axis in a distal direction, the distal direction being from the proximal face toward the distal face, and configured such that the tissue accessing device is guided by the first passageway in the distal direction from the proximal face toward the distal face toward the desired location, wherein the first proximal opening is entirely spaced away from the central longitudinal axis, the first distal opening is entirely spaced away from the central longitudinal axis, and the first passageway intersects the central longitudinal axis in an interior of the guide block between the proximal face and the distal face.