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What can Breast Ultrasound show?
Breast ultrasound, also known as sonography or ultrasonography, is frequently used to evaluate breast abnormalities that are found with Screening or Diagnostic Mammography or during a clinical breast exam. Ultrasound allows significant freedom in obtaining images of the breast from almost any orientation. Ultrasound is excellent at imaging cysts: round, fluidfilled, pockets inside the breast. Additionally, ultrasound can often quickly determine if a suspicious are is in fact a cyst (always non-cancerous) or an increased density of solid tissue
(dense mass) which may require a biopsy to determine if it is malignant (cancerous).
If a patient’s Ultrasound and Mammogram results are both negative (no evidence of cancer is seen), but the physician is still concerned about the thickening or mass, then he/she may proceed further with a Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) biopsy of the area. Ultrasound is useful in helping physicians guide a biopsy (tissue sampling) to determine whether a breast abnormality is cancerous. Physicians use Ultrasound during core biopsies and FNA to determine where to place the needle.
Ultrasound may also be used to prove whether a suspicious area is a lymph node. Lymph nodes have fatty centers which are often apparent on ultrasound images.
How is Ultrasound performed?
Breast Ultrasound uses high-frequency waves to image the breast. High-frequency waves are transmitted from a transducer through the breast. The sound waves echo off the breast; this echo is picked up by the transducer and then translated by a computer into an image that is displayed on a computer monitor. The radiologist or technologist will cover the part of the breast that will be imaged with a gel. The gel will lubricate the skin and help with the transmission of the sound waves
What are the differences between Ultrasound and Mammography?
Ultrasound has excellent contrast resolution. This means, for example, that an area of fluid
(cyst) and an area of normal breast tissue are easy to differentiate on an Ultrasound image.
However, Ultrasound does not have good spatial resolution like Mammography, and therefore cannot provide as much detail as a Mammogram image. Ultrasound is also unable to image microcalcifications, tiny calcium deposits that are often the first indication of breast cancer. Mammography, on the other hand, is excellent at imaging calcifications. Ultrasound may be able to detect macrocalcifications (larger calcium deposits) in some cases.
Ultrasound is not FDA approved as a screening tool for breast cancer. Ultrasound is most valuable when used after mammogram or physical breast exams have indicated an abnormality.
An Ultrasound exam usually lasts between 20 and 30 minutes but may take longer if the operator has a difficult time finding the breast abnormalities being examined. Ultrasound does not use any radiation and is usually pain-free.
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What if I still have questions?
If you have any questions regarding having Breast Ultrasound or your results you can discuss them with one of our nurse practitioners, pathologist or radiologist by calling the
Englewood Hospital Breast Care Center at 201-894-3202.
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