- Dr. Edward Jankhe
- Department of Radiology
- Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, CA
Ultrasound uses sound waves to evaluate tissue characteristics. The ACR
Standard for performance of the Breast ultrasound examinations lists as
appropriate indications for breast sonography.
- 1. Identification and characterization of palpable abnormalities and
evaluation of ambiguous mammographic findings.
2. Guidance of interventional procedures
- 3. Evaluation of breasts containing silicone implants for leakage of
silicone into the surrounding tissue.
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- 4. Breast sonography is the initial imaging technique to evaluation
palpable masses in women under 30 and in lactating and pregnant women.
Ultrasound of the breast should not be performed as a screening study for occult
masses. Ultrasound is an inappropriate technique to search the breast for
microcalcifications.
The ultrasound examination should be performed preferentially with a high-resolution
linear array transducer, ordinarily with a 7-10 MHz transducer frequency, although curved
linear or sectors transducers may be used if the others are unavailable. Rarely a 5 MHz
transducer may be used for large breasts or deep lesions.
Examples of breast ultrasound.
- Cyst simple vs. complex
- Solid benign mass-fibroadenoma
- Solid ill-defined vs. lobulated mass - malignant
Recently the FDA has given pre-market approval for use of the ATL HDI 1000 digital
ultrasound technology to be used as an adjunct in evaluation of solid breast masses.
Evaluation is based echogenicity, margins, orientation of the mass and, to a lesser
extent, on color-flow doppler evaluation of the lesion and a corresponding area in the
contralateral breast.
