Breast ultrasound is a diagnostic imaging technique. Developed in the 1950s, it is a harmless technique that uses high-frequency sound waves which, when they hit the mammary gland, are bounced back and detected by the transducer that sends them out, converting them into images in real time.
Applications of breast ultrasound
Breast ultrasound makes it possible to visualize the internal structure of the breast in multiple planes. Thus, when mammography is unable to detect images due to the density of the breast, ultrasound does.
Experts in Mastology explain that one of the most relevant applications of breast ultrasound is that it allows differentiating benign lesions, such as cyst or fibroadenoma, from cancer.
Who should undergo a breast ultrasound
- Women under 30 years of age with a history, even if they do not show symptoms.
- Pregnant women.
- Women over 35 years of age with symptoms that are not detected in mammography, or in the case that it has been seen, to give more information.
- In women with nipple discharge, in women with prosthesis, operated.
- In biopsies, to guide the sampling.
- When the type of breast of the woman can hide information in a mammography.
When and how should a breast ultrasound be performed?
Breast ultrasounds can be performed annually, biannually or when clinically necessary.
They are performed with the woman in the supine position, with the arms raised and the body slightly tilted to one side or the other, depending on the breast being examined. Breast ultrasound is performed with a transducer, using a conductive gel on the skin of the breast.
Differences between breast ultrasound and mammography
Mammography is a diagnostic imaging technique that uses X-rays. It is the only method accepted as a screening method for breast cancer. Unlike ultrasound, mammography more easily detects microcalcifications, which are one of the first signs of a type of breast cancer.
On the other hand, because it is performed manually, ultrasound may miss the exact site of a small lesion, especially in large, fatty breasts.
Thus, although ultrasound cannot replace mammography, it complements it and is very helpful.