In modern medicine, four complementary methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), thermography, as well as ultrasound (ultrasound) and mammography, are used today to examine the mammary glands, with the latter two methods being particularly popular. For the first time going for the study of mammary glands, every woman raises the question, what of these methods is better - breast ultrasound or mammography?
Ultrasound and mammography - similarity and difference
For complete clarity and understanding of these two procedures relating to the field of medical diagnostics, one can simply refer to their names in order to immediately determine what each of them is, and what is their similarity and difference.
Thus, ultrasound (ultrasound) is a non-invasive method for studying the human body with ultrasound waves. Mammography , which from Greek means "description of the breast" - is also a non-invasive method for examining the breast, but only with the help of ionizing radiation. Mammography is nothing else than radiography of the breast without the use of contrast agents.
Mammography or ultrasound - what is better?
The method of ultrasound in many patients is associated with a harmless, painless and comfortable procedure, while mammography is perceived with extreme caution because of the possible harm of x-ray exposure.
And completely in vain, since mammography is one of the alternative methods for establishing the pathology of the breast. This is a harmless X-ray study, or as it is also called the screening method, which is performed in several projections (as a rule, 4 pictures are taken).
In this case, all women who have crossed the 40-year-old age are recommended as a prophylaxis to undergo an annual mammography screening test, while in the case of younger patients (30 to 39 years old), ultrasound is usually used.
If we say that more precisely - ultrasound or mammography, then an unambiguous answer to this question can not be obtained, since in case of any suspicion the specialist also resorts to an alternative method. In order to achieve the most accurate conclusions about the existence or absence of breast disease.
The accuracy of ultrasound is also largely dependent on how modern the model of the ultrasound machine is, so that it is possible to distinguish small foci of disease (less than 0.5 cm in diameter).
What is more informative - ultrasound or mammography?
The method of mammography differs from ultrasound investigation by the possibility of obtaining exhaustive information about accumulations of calcium salts (microcalcinates), whereas ultrasound examination makes it easier to distinguish benign formations from malignant ones.
This method is considered to be the most informative in comparison with mammography, as it allows to detect even small formations in the mammary gland such as tumors 0.1 cm in diameter, besides, with their clear localization and the possibility of puncture biopsy.
What is more effective - an ultrasound or a mammogram?
The results of recent studies conducted by American scientists showed that conventional ultrasound scanning, using harmless for human ultrasonic waves, as a percentage of 95.7% to 60.9%, was more effective than mammography in detecting malignant breast tumors - and especially for women from 30 to 39 years.
It is noted that the examination of ultrasound is harmless for pregnant women - at all stages of her pregnancy, as well as for nursing mothers.