Breast Ultrasound | Dense Breast Info Inc.

1. Breast Ultrasound | Dense Breast Info Inc http://densebreast-info.org Know the importance of Breast ultrasound to diagnose breast density in a woman. Breast ultrasound uses sound waves that cannot be heard by humans. Screening ultrasound examinations can either be performed entirely by a trained technologist or radiologist. Also known as a Sonogram: Breast ultrasound uses sound waves that cannot be heard by humans. It involves no ionizing radiation. Screening ultrasound examinations can either be performed entirely by hand by a trained technologist or radiologist (where the operator moves the detection piece, i.e. the “transducer”, by hand), or by using an “automated” device (operated by a motor with positioning assistance from a technologist). Hand-held screening ultrasound requires skill on the part of the person performing the test since an abnormality must be seen while scanning in order to be reported by the radiologist. It is also necessary to perform real-time adjustments of technique while performing hand-held breast ultrasound. On average, screening ultrasound takes about 15 minutes to perform, though it can take longer if there are multiple findings requiring documentation. http://densebreast-info.org

2. Automated breast ultrasound typically uses a special wide (usually 15-cm) transducer to document the entire breast (usually in three separate acquisitions). A semi-automated approach adapts a motorized arm to a standard 3.8- to 5-cm transducer which is moved across the breast in overlapping segments. Both approaches create hundreds of images which must be later reviewed by a radiologist. Several other approaches to whole breast ultrasound are in development, including return to use of prone positioning (with the woman lying on her stomach). Automated ultrasound is less dependent on the technologist performing the screening and it can be performed in a slightly shorter time than when screening is performed by hand. Preliminary studies show similar or slightly lower cancer detection rates for fully automated ultrasound compared to hand-held ultrasoundi, and recall for additional targeted ultrasound may be needed more often with automated approaches, though further comparison studies are warranted. Results with semi- automated ultrasound showed cancer detection rates at least as high as with handheld ultrasound, with fewer benign biopsies.ii Contact As DenseBreast-info, Inc. PO Box 997 Deer Park, NY 11729 http://densebreast-info.org