Breast Tomosynthesis

Digital mammography, where the detector useswhereby overlying normal tissues can mask the
digital technology, has been shown to be superiorpathologies of interest. We have seen how
to conventional analog screen-film mammography,tomosynthesis imaging, because it is 3-D, helps
especially in the difficult-to-image denser breasts.improve visibility. It is thus natural to try and
However, the long-term promise of digitalcombine these two techniques into what is known
mammography is probably its use as an enableras contrast enhanced breast tomosynthesis. This
of more advanced imaging methods. One ofmeans 3-D imaging of the contrast agent. The
these is known as tomosynthesis. Breastiodinated contrast agent is administered in the
tomosynthesis is a three-dimensional (3-D) digitalconventional way, and instead of performing 2-D
mammography imaging technology that hasdigital mammography, the patient is imaged using
shown significant early promise in improvingthe breast tomosynthesis machine. The radiologist
mammography's accuracy.will then review the sequence of 3-D images of
Breast tomosynthesis consists of taking multiplethe drug's flow into and out of the breast tissue.
images at multiple angles about a stationaryContrast enhanced breast tomosynthesis is similar
compressed breast, with a total radiation doseto another imaging modality that is increasingly
similar to conventional mammography. The imagesbecoming more commonplace- breast MRI. In
are reconstructed into a 3-D image, similarly tobreast MRI, the patient is given an injection of an
CT or MRI images. The value of the 3-D image isMRI contrast agent, and the patient undergoes a
tumors are less likely to be hidden amongstsequence of MRI images. Both methods are
normal tissues as they are in a two dimensionallooking for local contrast agent concentrations
(2-D) conventional mammogram. Early clinical trialsthat can be indicative of breast cancer. Both look
of tomosynthesis show the potential for bothfor washin and washout characteristics to try to
improved cancer detection and the reduction indifferentiate benign from malignant pathologies.
the need for additional diagnostic imaging forAnd both image the contrast agents using 3-D
women who are subsequently found to be cancertechnology.
free.For some great information on how to treat
Contrast mammography, as described here, is aBreast Cancer take a look at Breast Cancer
2-D imaging modality. Thus, it suffers from theInformation.
same limitations as conventional mammography,