Dr. Ramirez is a specialist in Radiology, especially in the early diagnosis of breast cancer. In this article he unveils the latest technological advances in mammography.
Mammography is generally used for the diagnosis of all breast pathology, both benign and malignant. Logically, the greatest number of cases in which it is used is for the early diagnosis of breast cancer, although benign pathologies are also diagnosed by mammography.
When to have a mammogram
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended in 2002 that annual mammograms should be performed from the age of 36. However, it is always at the discretion of the physician who requests it; gynecologists, general practitioners, surgeons, plastic surgeons, etc., who will decide whether the patient requires a mammogram before or after the established age.
According to the specialists in Radiology, it is advisable to undergo an annual mammographic control after the age of 40, always taking into account the personal and family history of the patient, and the existence or not of other previous studies that make it advisable to do it before or after.
It is also advisable to perform it with high-end, digital, direct machines, without post-processing, with specific monitors for breast diagnosis and with a workstation that has specific viewers for mammography.
Senographe Pristina: the patient can adjust the mammography pressure.
Senographe Pristina is one of the most important breast diagnostic systems currently available. It works by means of a direct tomosynthesis, in which low radiation is used and, in addition, for the patient’s comfort, a gradual compression is used, and the patient herself can indicate how far she wants the pressure to be applied.
She is given a small electronic device and it is the patient herself who presses up to the point where she considers that she can no longer bear the pain of the mammography. This is much more comfortable for the patient. She is also offered relaxation provided by television screens with images to improve her comfort.
The Senographe Pristina system also enjoys a diagnostic quality far superior to other machines in the same category and a very powerful workstation, with very specific viewers for this breast pathology.
Invenia Abus: latest technology for denser breasts
The Invenia ABUS system is a new technology for the early diagnosis of breast cancer that uses ultrasound instead of ionizing radiation. In this sense, the ABUS system uses a three-dimensional scan of the breast in which a volume of the breast is obtained, which is then used in workstations for its study and subsequent report.
It is usually used in the case of very dense breasts. Its use is increasingly accepted in people with known breast pathology or in dense breasts in mammography, obviating even the realization of a conventional ultrasound study.