Breasts Ultrasound
Why have a breast ultrasound?
An ultrasound scan of the breast may be performed to investigate a range of investigations such as:
Breast pain
Nipple discharge
Breast lumps/lumpiness
Check of implants (but MRI may be recommended for further evaluation)
Breast feeding and experiencing any breast symptoms
Axilla lumps
To monitor previously diagnosed breast lumps
What are the limitations of breast ultrasound?
Ultrasound is one of the tools used in breast imaging, but it does not replace annual mammography
Some cancers are not visible on ultrasound
Many calcifications seen on mammography cannot be seen on ultrasound
Some early breast cancers only show up as calcifications on mammography
MRI findings that are due to cancer are not always seen with ultrasound
Most suspicious findings on an ultrasound scan that require biopsy are not cancers
Further investigations such as a breast biopsy may be recommended to determine if a suspicious abnormality is a cancer or not
Mammography (x-ray of the breast) is the first imaging modality of choice for women over the age of 40yrs
There are no known risks of using breast ultrasound. Ultrasound does not use any X-rays, and is considered to be very safe
A few links for you to have a look at…
https://breastcancernow.org/information-support/have-i-got-breast-cancer/benign-breast-conditions/breast-pain
https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/womens-health/how-should-i-check-my-breasts/
https://breastcancernow.org/information-support/have-i-got-breast-cancer/signs-symptoms-breast-cancer
Although a breast ultrasound is useful, and the best way to see if a lump is solid or cystic, a breast biopsy will usually be required to find out if a lump is cancerous or not. It is worth remembering that many breast lumps do not turn out to be cancerous.
