Breast ultrasound is an essential investigation in the prevention of breast cancer. We offer high-precision, radiation-free imaging.
Breast ultrasound is a non-invasive, painless imaging investigation that uses ultrasound to assess the structure of the breast. It is useful for identifying and characterizing local changes, including breast nodules, and is frequently used when there is an area of interest that needs to be clarified. One of the important advantages is that it can show whether a formation is solid or filled with fluid, as happens in the case of a cyst.
Breast ultrasound is recommended when a palpable nodule appears, localized pain, changes in the breast, nipple secretion, or when another investigation, such as mammography, has revealed an area that needs to be better evaluated. It may also be useful in women with dense breasts, where mammography may be more difficult to interpret, but does not automatically replace screening mammography.
Evaluation of nodules and other breast changes
Ultrasound differentiation between cysts and solid formations
Correlation of the investigation with mammography and clinical examination
Ultrasound monitoring of some injuries recommended for follow-up
Medical guidance for further investigation, when necessary
Breast ultrasound has an important role in the clinical evaluation of the breast, especially when there is a nodule or local change that needs to be clarified. The Mayo Clinic shows that ultrasound can provide additional information about a breast formation and help the medical team decide what steps are needed next.
It is important to understand that breast ultrasound is generally not the main standard test for breast cancer screening in the general population. Mammography remains the basic test for screening, and ultrasound is mainly used as a complementary or clarifying method, depending on age, symptoms and clinical context.
For a correct assessment, it is important to follow some essential steps:
Let's carry out the investigation when there is a clear medical indication.
Let's interpret the result together with the doctor, not in isolation.
Let's correlate ultrasound with clinical examination and, when appropriate, mammography.
Let's follow the recommendations on monitoring or further investigations.
Let's re-evaluate breast formations when the doctor deems it necessary.
1.Breast ultrasound is very useful to differentiate a fluid-filled lesion, such as a cyst, from a solid formation. This helps a lot in orienting the diagnosis and establishing further conduct.
2.Not every breast lump means cancer. ACOG and Mayo Clinic point out that there are numerous benign breast conditions, including cysts, breast pain, nipple secretions, or other local changes. That is precisely why the interpretation of an ultrasound must be done in context and should not be automatically associated with a malignant disease.
3.Ultrasound is also commonly used to guide biopsy. RadiologyInfo shows that guided imaging biopsies can be performed using ultrasound to take tissue from a suspicious area and send it for analysis.
4.Some results may only require ultrasound follow-up, and others may lead to the recommendation of a biopsy. The BI-RADS system is used in breast imaging to communicate the level of suspicion and the next steps; for example, some presumably benign lesions may require control at 6 months, and some suspicious lesions may require biopsy.
5.In the case of dense breasts, ultrasound can bring additional information, as the increased density can make it more difficult to identify some lesions on mammography. However, this does not mean that ultrasound automatically replaces screening mammography.
We ask ourselves the question of a breast ultrasound when there is a palpable nodule, pain, local changes, nipple discharge or a blurred area on mammography or clinical examination. The investigation can also be used to monitor already known lesions or to guide a biopsy. In all cases, the result must be integrated into the overall clinical evaluation.
At CMIB, we perform breast ultrasound with care and clarity, to properly assess changes in the breast and to guide the next steps when necessary. Schedule a consultation and find out what investigations are recommended in your case.
It is an ultrasound imaging investigation that allows evaluating the structure of the breast and changes such as mammary nodules.
Typically, no. It is a non-invasive investigation and does not involve ionizing radiation. RadiologyInfo notes that for standard ultrasound no harmful effects in humans are known.
Biopsy may be recommended if a lesion is suspicious in appearance. Ultrasound is commonly used to guide needle biopsy.
The best step is a specialist consultation. The doctor will decide whether ultrasound is necessary depending on the symptoms, age, clinical examination and the results of other investigations.
