Biopsy instrument with multi-port needle

A surgical biopsy instrument for the extraction of at least one tissue sample from a body is described. The surgical biopsy instrument has a vacuum source and an outer elongated hollow piercing needle for the penetration of the body. The needle is rotatably fixed about the longitudinal axis and has a proximal end and a distal piercing tip opposite the proximal end. The needle also includes a needle passageway extending between the proximal end and the tip. The needle has a plurality of tissue receiving ports adjacent to the piercing tip and the tissue receiving port communicates with the needle passageway for reception of the tissue sample. A cutter is moveably disposed relative to the needle. The cutter has a distal cutting blade on the distal end of the cutter. The cutting blade is moveable across the tissue receiving ports of the needle to cut the tissue sample. A tissue extractor is connected to the vacuum source and the extractor is moveably disposed relative to the needle. The tissue extractor has a tissue receptacle and an extractor channel extending therethrough. The tissue receptacle communicates with the extractor channel and the tissue receptacle is alignable with at least one tissue receiving port of the piercing needle for the reception of the tissue sample upon an application of a vacuum from the vacuum source. The tissue receptacle is removable from the needle of the surgical biopsy instrument for the extraction of the tissue sample from the body.