Advances in mammography and breast imaging - information

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Breast ultrasound

What is ultrasound?
Benefits of ultrasound
Limitations of ultrasound
History of ultrasound

What is ultrasound?

Ultrasound is a diagnostic imaging tool which is frequently used to evaluate breast abnormalities found using mammography or during physical breast exam. Ultrasound can often determine if a suspicious area is non-cancerous or requires a biopsy to determine if it is cancerous. Ultrasound can also be used to help guide the needle during biopsy to ensure that the proper area is being sampled.

Ultrasound uses a stream of inaudible, high frequency sound waves to image the breast. The sound waves are produced by a small hand-held device called a transducer. Sound waves penetrate into the breast and bounce back off the internal structues of the breast. The transducer detects sound waves as they bounce back and these waves are turned into live pictures with the use of computers and software.

An ultrasound exam usually lasts between 20 and 30 minutes. A gel-like substance is applied to the skin surface to provide better contact with the transducer. Ultrasound does not use radiation and is usually not painful and the breast is not compressed as in mammography.

Ultrasound images of masses.

Ultrasound benign Ultrasound malignant

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Benefits of ultrasound

It has excellent contrast resolution, which means that suspicious areas are easy to differentiate from normal tissue.
It can be used for younger women and for women with breast implants.

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Limitations of ultrasound

It lacks fine detail.
It cannot always detect microcalcifications.
Its effectiveness depends on the ability of the technician.

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History of ultrasound

1915	Paul Langevin, a French physicist, began developing sonar devices to locate submarines in World War I.
1945	Sonar inspired researchers to explore ways of applying the concept to medical diagnosis.
1955	In Glasgow, doctors Ian Donald and Wallace Barr were able to differentiate between solid and cystic tumours using ultrasound.
1960s	The first commercially available ultrasound scanners were developed. Machines improved over the years, resulting in images of great clarity.
1980s	The advent of computer technology provided ultrasound images with superior resolution and clarity.
Present	Doppler ultrasound has been developed which detects internal moving objects, such as blood flow. Future developments include three-dimensional ultrasound.

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