Mammography is an X-ray technique which is used to obtain a picture of the breast. X-ray of the breast is performed by exposure of the breast to low doses of radiations. For a few seconds, breasts are.....
Mammography is an X-ray technique which is used to obtain a picture of the breast. X-ray of the breast is performed by exposure of the breast to low doses of radiations. For a few seconds, breasts are compressed between two thin plates. Mammography is used in early detection of breast cancer, typically through detection of characteristic masses or microcalcifications. With the Mammography machine available at Medanta, radiologists can get a deep insight of the body in 2D and 3D form, which results in early detection with better accuracy.
The Mammography technology is generally used either for diagnosis or screening purpose in the evaluation of a breast lump
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It is used for investigation of suspicious changes in breast such as breast lump, breast pain, unusual skin appearance, thick nipples or discharge in nipples. A diagnostic mammogram consists of additional mammogram images. It is also used to evalu...
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This technique is used for finding out breast alterations in women who show observable symptoms of breast abnormalities. The technology can show changes in the breast tissues two years before the patient or the physician starts to feel them.
Preparing for Mammography
- It is recommended by doctors to not undergo the test if the breasts are tender.
- The patient is also advised to do it after 1 or 2 weeks of the menstrual period.
- A robe will be provided by the hospital to cover the upper portion of the body.
- The radiologist should be notified by the patient about any changes in the breast lumps since his/her last examination. It is imperative to inform the doctor if you have any implants.
During the Mammography
During the procedure, the patient should wear an open wrap from above the waist, the dress is provided by the mammography staff.A technologist will identify the proper position of the patient in front of the machine and will position each breast, one at a time on the mammography equipment. To obtain the best possible images, the positioning of the body and the breasts should be right. For the tissue to become flat, it is compressed between two flat plates.When the compression is complete and the position of the breast is right, the radiologist will stand behind a screen or will leave the room for once.Once it is safe, the radiologist will turn on the X-ray source to allow the transfer of breast images to the X-ray film or the digital detector. The process generally takes 10 - 15 minutes.
What happens after Mammography?
- Mammography images are stored as electronic data files and usually reviewed on a computer screen. At Medanta a specialist women’s imaging radiologist interprets these images to prepare the results and sends a report to your doctor in a form of a film or a CD (can be taken with the reports at the time of report collection).
- You can expect your results within 24 hours of your examination. As soon as your reports are ready an SMS will be sent to the mobile number registered with Medanta. You can collect your reports from the Medanta’s report collecting desk. Also, you have an option to receive your reports online (contact the present medical staff to get yourself registered with us).
The cutting-edge technology of Mammography can detect the breast tissue abnormalities two years before the physician or the patient even experiences the symptoms.
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Mammography helps in detecting the breast cancer as early as possible. The technology helps the doctors to decide the course of action and also gives the patient the required time to cope with the symptoms and signs.
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Exposure to low-dose radiation: the exposure is within limits and mostly the benefits outweigh the harms of exposure. The results are not always accurate: the accuracy depends on the skills and the techniques used by the radiologists. Age and breast density may also affect the accuracy. It is difficult to interpret mammograms of younger women: younger women have high breast density that may result in wrong results. Having a mammogram may result in additional testing: around 10% of the procedures require additional tests. The procedure cannot detect all cancers: small cancer tissues and the ones that are located in difficult areas such as armpits are difficult to diagnose.
- The Mammography technique uses low dose X-Ray to detect cancer at early stages, even before the women experience any symptoms.
- The Siemens Mammomat, the technology used by Medanta is inspired by PRIME technology. This technology gives an advantage of 30% lower dose of radiations, without compromising on the quality at all.
- The machine uses the direct-to-digital aSe detector, which helps the radiologists obtain superior quality images in no time.
- The Mammography technique at Medanta also uses EMPIRE technology, which is a unique blend of iterative and machine learning concepts, and the algorithms are used to reconstruct images for impeccable clarity of details and contrasts.
