Mammographic Tomosynthesis

Your breast is positioned against the platform again, and the clear plastic plate is used to apply pressure. The 3D mammogram images can be analyzed as a whole or examined in small fractions for greater detail.

For breast cancer screening purposes, the machine also creates standard 2D mammogram images.

This is not least in part due to the overlapping of breast tissue when generating the images.

This can hide tumor tissue and thus lead to a false negative result, or healthy tissue can have the appearance of a tumor, creating a false positive result.

It can also be used to investigate the cause of breast problems, such as a breast mass, pain and nipple discharge.

When used for breast cancer screening, 3D mammogram machines create 3D images and standard 2D mammogram images.For the procedure itself, you stand in front of an X-ray machine equipped to perform 3D mammograms.The technician places one of your breasts on a platform and raises or lowers the platform to match your height.A simplified version of an advanced breast imaging technique known as digital breast tomosynthesis detects significantly more breast cancers than standard digital mammography and can potentially reduce the radiation dose and the screen-screen-reading burden of breast cancer screening, say Swedish investigators.Breast tomosynthesis could replace mammography for breast cancer screening in the future, suggest Sophia Zackrisson, Ph D, Department of Translational Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues.Additional tests for breast cancer may include an ultrasound, an MRI or, sometimes, a biopsy to remove suspicious cells for testing in a lab by doctors who specialize in analyzing body tissue (pathology testing).Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. Indeed, two previous prospective, population-based screening trials indicated that two-view tomosynthesis combined with two-view digital mammography increased cancer detection in comparison with digital mammography alone.A further study in which tomosynthesis was combined with simulated mammography had promising results.Pressure is applied for a few seconds to spread out the breast tissue.The pressure isn't harmful, but you may find it uncomfortable or even painful.