| Breast ultrasound, also known as the | | | | and the transducer to limit the amount of bubbles |
| ultrasonography of the breast, is a safe test done | | | | or air pockets between the two surfaces. The |
| on patients to enable doctors to understand | | | | transducer is then pressed onto the breast and |
| certain medical treatments related to the breast | | | | the examination is performed. Both breasts of the |
| mass to be able to treat them accordingly. The | | | | patient will be examined, and the doctor will then |
| principle behind the test is very similar to the | | | | analyze images of the internal structures of the |
| Trans abdominal sonography (TAS) ultrasound | | | | breast. During the examination, the doctor may |
| used for checking the prenatal condition of a baby | | | | use special techniques of Doppler ultrasound to |
| while inside the mother's womb. The pictures are | | | | analyze the flow of blood through blood vessels in |
| formed by using high frequency sound waves, not | | | | the breast mass. The whole ultrasound is fast and |
| heard by humans, which give off reflection | | | | easy and will only take around 30 minutes. |
| signatures that make up the image. | | | | Breast ultrasound is performed on young or |
| In a simpler analogy, it can be imagined to be the | | | | pregnant women who have reported cases of |
| same principle behind the sonar released by bats | | | | masses in their breast, women who have had |
| to make them see as they have poor visual | | | | silicon implants, those who have dense breasts, |
| acuity in the dark. Bats release sonar waves | | | | fibrocystic breast disease - non-cancerous |
| which is analogous to the high frequency sound | | | | changes in the breast tissue, women who refuse |
| waves of the ultrasound. Once these waves hit | | | | exposure to x-rays in mammography, and those |
| any object, it bounces back or it echoes. These | | | | who are found to have lesions that cannot be |
| waves are then measured to determine how far | | | | analyzed fully with mammography alone. Some |
| that object is, as well as its consistency, forming | | | | benefits of breast ultrasound are its availability and |
| an image. | | | | its inexpensiveness as compared to other imaging |
| The breast ultrasound is a painless, non-invasive | | | | methods. It does not use radiation, which makes |
| procedure that uses a hand-held device called the | | | | it the safest choice and may be repeated as |
| transducer that releases sound waves and | | | | often as necessary. It can also give a clearer |
| records the received reflection signature gathered | | | | image of the breast mass and tissue as |
| from the high frequency sound waves and | | | | compared to x-ray images. |
| converts these measured waves into an image. | | | | A successful and positive breast ultrasound result |
| The patient will need to undress from the waist | | | | would show the breast mass to be uniform, |
| up, with the skin free of lotion or powder, and | | | | without irregular masses. However, should the |
| raise her hands above her head. | | | | result have some distinctive patterns, this may be |
| A clear gel is applied onto the area to be | | | | indicative of cysts, benign lesions and even |
| examined, acting as a contact between the skin | | | | malignant lesions that cause breast cancer. |