16 miles

Over the Sepulveda Pass The fine needle aspiration itself is a twenty minute procedure, and the slides are read on site.

30 to 45 minutes

Door to door, off peak

Results in 24 hours

Preliminary, not two weeks

One visit

Biopsy, read and consult

Why come south

The pass is the whole trip

Encino sits about 16 miles north of the office, on the other side of the Sepulveda Pass. That is the entire journey. Most patients drive down once, have the biopsy, watch the slides go under the microscope, and drive home with an answer already in motion.

What the drive gets you

  • One appointment. Ultrasound, biopsy, staining and the consultation all happen in the same visit.
  • The person who reads it. Dr. Nadelman takes the sample and interprets it herself, so there is no handoff.
  • A short sample caught on the spot. If the material is thin she knows in minutes and takes another.
  • Preliminary results in 24 hours. Sent to you and to whichever physician you name.

What waiting costs you

  • Weeks, not days. A hospital radiology referral is commonly two weeks from imaging to report.
  • Two appointments. One with a radiologist for the sample, another to hear the result.
  • A stranger reading the slides. The pathologist who makes the call is someone you never meet.
  • Starting over if it is inadequate. You find out two weeks later that there were not enough cells.

The drive is shorter than the wait. For most Encino patients the trip over the pass takes less time than the gap between a referral and a first available hospital slot.

Fine needle aspiration in Encino

The three biopsies Encino patients come here for.

A fine needle aspiration uses a needle thinner than the one used to draw blood. No incision, no stitches, local anesthesia only. Pick the one your doctor mentioned.

Thyroid

Thyroid nodule biopsy

Only 4 to 6 percent of thyroid nodules turn out to be cancer. Ultrasound guided sampling, graded on the Bethesda system, read on site. Thyroid biopsy

Breast

Breast lump biopsy

Most breast lumps are benign. If it is a cyst, draining it with the same needle often makes the lump disappear during the visit. Breast biopsy

Lymph nodes

Lymph node biopsy

Usually a node is simply doing its job. When it is hard, fixed, or has not gone away, cells answer the question in one appointment. Lymph node biopsy

Two routes from Encino

The difference is who reads your slides.

If your Encino physician finds a thyroid nodule, a breast lump or a swollen lymph node, the referral usually goes to a hospital radiology department in the Valley or over the hill. A radiologist takes the sample, and a pathologist you never meet reads it days later.

The hospital referral

Two visits, two specialists, two waits

  • Day 0. Referral and imaging
  • Day 3. A radiologist takes the sample
  • Day 12 to 14. Pathology report reaches your doctor
  • If the sample is short. You find out two weeks later and start over

About two weeks of waiting

With Dr. Nadelman

One appointment

One visit, one specialist, one drive

  • Day 0. Ultrasound, biopsy, slides read on site, consultation
  • Same day. If the sample is short she knows immediately and takes another
  • Within 24 hours. Preliminary results to you and your doctor
  • No second trip. You talk to the person who made the diagnosis

An answer inside of two days

The drive from Encino

Four steps, one pass.

About 16 miles from Ventura Boulevard to the office door. There is no freeway interchange to puzzle over, just the 405 south and a short run east.

01

Start on Ventura Boulevard

Anywhere in Encino, pick up the I-405 south on-ramp at Ventura Boulevard.

02

South over the Sepulveda Pass

About 9 miles of freeway. Off peak this is the quick part, and it is the stretch worth timing around rush hour.

03

East on Santa Monica or Olympic

Exit and run east a few minutes to Beverly Drive. No canyon roads needed.

04

1125 S. Beverly Drive, Suite 602

Los Angeles, CA 90035. Garage parking in the building. Plan on about an hour for the appointment.

Encino questions

Asked by patients coming over the pass.

How far is the office from Encino?

About 16 miles, straight down the I-405 over the Sepulveda Pass and then a short run east to Beverly Drive. Off peak it is usually 30 to 45 minutes door to door. The office is at 1125 S. Beverly Drive, Suite 602, with parking in the building garage.

A mid morning or early afternoon appointment keeps you off the pass during the worst of it. The office is open Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 6:00, and next-day appointments are usually available, so there is normally room to pick a slot that suits the traffic.

No. The slides are stained and read under the microscope while you are still in the office, because Dr. Nadelman is the cytopathologist as well as the physician doing the biopsy. Preliminary findings are usually available within 24 hours and go to you and to whichever physician you name.

Yes. She performs house call FNA biopsies anywhere in California, so a homebound or immobile patient in Encino can have the sample taken at home. She brings the ultrasound and the staining setup with her.

Worth reading before you drive up. fine needle aspiration in Los Angeles, the insurance the office accepts, and the questions patients ask most. She also samples salivary gland, soft tissue and other lumps, bumps and nodules.

Near Encino. She also sees patients from Glendale, Santa Clarita and Beverly Hills. Or see every area she covers.

Waiting is the worst part. Encino is 16 miles away.

Next-day appointments are usually available, and house calls are available anywhere in California.

310.702.6701

1125 S. Beverly Drive, Suite 602
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Monday to Friday, 10 to 6

What patients say

4.9 stars across Google and Yelp

Reviews from people who came in with a lump and left with an answer.
See video testimonials and letters from referring physicians are on the testimonials page.

CELINA NADELMAN, M.D.

  • Biopsy and interpretation by a Board Certified Cytopathologist

  • Ultrasound-guided and palpation-guided FNAs

  • Preliminary diagnosis within 24 hours in most cases

  • Next day appointments available

  • We accept most major PPO insurances and Medicare.

  • Patient and physician time savings

  • Relief of patient anxiety

  • Medical, technical and fiscal resource conservation

  • Appropriate and expeditious triage of the patient and their sample

  • Diagnostic ultrasound services

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Request an appointment with The Cancer Biopsy Doctor, Celina M. Nadelman, M.D. today.

Did you know we do house calls in the state of California? We can travel to you anywhere in California! Speak to our office about the details.