Breast examination: mammography or ultrasound? | Afrilatest.be

What is a mammogram?

A mammogram is an X-ray of your breasts. The X-ray machine has two plates between which your breast is placed and fixed. You get two pictures of each breast: one from top to bottom and one in the oblique direction. The picture shows fatty tissue, glandular tissue and connective tissue of your breast. The mammogram can detect breast lesions before they are palpable or cause symptoms. After the breast picture, further examination is sometimes necessary to determine whether it is a benign change in the breast or breast cancer.

Mammography is always the first examination for breast cancer. You will get a mammogram during the population screening for breast cancer or if your GP refers you to the hospital for examination.

What is an ultrasound?

An ultrasound is an examination with sound waves that are not audible. The reflection (echo) of the waves makes organs and tissues visible on a screen. This allows the doctor to assess the organs in the body and detect a possible tumor and/or metastases.

The ultrasound is a simple examination. If you have an ultrasound, you will have to bare your upper body. The doctor then applies gel to the skin and moves a small device over the skin that emits sound waves. The device converts the sound waves into images. The doctor can then record the images on the screen as photos.

What is the difference between mammography and ultrasound?

The biggest difference between the two examination techniques is that a mammogram works with X-rays and an ultrasound scan works with sound waves.

The purpose also differs: a mammogram is intended to detect breast cancer, while an ultrasound can help detect cysts, lumps or other abnormalities. In population screening, an ultrasound is considered an additional examination when the result of the mammogram is different.

Also read: Breast cancer: a simple blood test for screening?

Why both a mammogram and an ultrasound?

Since ultrasound is a very sensitive examination technique, too many lesions are found that, after further examination, do not appear to be cancer. For the woman, this can be a physically and emotionally stressful experience.

However, sometimes the doctor prescribes a combination of a mammogram and an ultrasound, the so-called diagnostic mammogram. This is done if a woman has specific breast complaints. In that case, an ultrasound can provide valuable information. An ultrasound can also be useful if something suspicious is discovered on a screening mammogram.

Also read: Free breast screening for early detection of breast cancer

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