| What is digital mammography
and why is it necessary?
Digital mammography is an x-ray examination of the breast. It is used to detect and
diagnose breast disease in women who have either breast problems, such
as a lump, pain or nipple discharge; or for women who have no breast complaints.
A female has a one-in-eight chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. As a woman gets older, her risk of breast cancer increases. Early detection is the best protection. The American Cancer Society and Cape Radiology Group recommend the following guidelines for early detection:
Ages 20 to 39
- Do a breast self-exam each month.
- Have a clinical breast exam by a health care professional every three years.
Ages 40 and over
- Have a mammogram every year.
- Have a clinical breast exam by a health care professional every year (close in time to the scheduled mammogram).
- Do a breast self-exam each month.
Cape Radiology Group offers full-service breast imaging modalities, including:
- Screening mammography is performed to detect breast changes in women who have no specific breast complaints. By performing a mammogram, it is possible to detect a tumor that cannot be felt.
- Diagnostic mammography is performed to evaluate unusual breast changes, such as a lump; focal point of breast tenderness or pain; nipple thickening or discharge; or a change in breast size or shape. It is also used to further evaluate abnormalities detected on a screening mammogram.
- Implant mammography provides special "modified views" for patients with implants in order to visualize as much of the natural breast tissue as possible.
- Special procedures related to mammography include
breast ultrasound, fine needle aspiration, 14-gauge core needle
biopsy, wire localization, cyst aspiration and galactograms.
For more information on digital mammography, see the mammogram section on RadiologyInfo. |
