Breast ultrasound is a medical imaging technique that uses
medical ultrasonography
Medical ultrasound includes Medical diagnosis, diagnostic techniques (mainly medical imaging, imaging) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic ultrasound, therapeutic applications of ultrasound. In diagnosis, it is used to create an image of ...
to perform
imaging of the breast. It can be performed for either
diagnostic
Diagnosis (: diagnoses) is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in a lot of different academic discipline, disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " ...
or
screening purposes
and can be used with or without a
mammogram
Mammography (also called mastography; DICOM modality: MG) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer ...
. In particular, breast ultrasound may be useful for younger women who have
denser fibrous breast tissue that may make mammograms more challenging to interpret.
(AWBU) is a technique that produces volumetric images of the breast and is largely independent of operator skill. It utilizes high-frequency ultrasound to help perform a diagnostic evaluation of the
lactiferous ducts (duct sonography)
and make dilated ducts and intraductal masses visible.
Galactography is another technique that can be used to visualize the system of lactiferous ducts and allows a wider area to be visualized.
is a type of ultrasound examination that measures tissue stiffness and can be used to detect tumours. Breast ultrasound is also used to perform
fine-needle aspiration biopsy and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of
breast abscesses.
Women may prefer breast ultrasound over mammography because it is a painless procedure and does not involve the discomfort of breast compression present in mammograms.
Breast ultrasound is typically performed using a frequency of 7 to 14 Megahertz, and may also include ultrasound of the
axillary tail of the breast and axillae to detect abnormal nodes in the axilla, as lymphatic drainage of parts of the breast occurs through
axillary lymph nodes
The axillary lymph nodes or armpit lymph nodes are lymph nodes in the human armpit. Between 20 and 49 in number, they drain lymph vessels from the lateral quadrants of the breast, the superficial lymph vessels from thin walls of the chest and the ...
.
See also
*
Acorn cyst sign
References
External links
*
Breast imaging
Diagnostic obstetrics and gynaecology
Medical ultrasonography
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