What is?
Breast ultrasound is a diagnostic technique that involves visualizing an image.
It is performed with an ultrasound consisting of a transducer; he uses ultrasound because we can see through the screen the whole structure of the breast.
When is it indicated?
Most ultrasound examinations for the breast come from an exploration of the breast (mammography, clinical examination). Therefore, ultrasound is a complementary study.
The ultrasound is indicated:
In women under the age of thirty.
In patients with palpable mass and not visualized by mammography.
In pregnant women.
In mammograms with nodular images or in dense breasts, the study cannot be completed.
We can tell if this is a solid or liquid image.
In patients with axillary masses or ganglion images visualized by mammography.
In patients with mastodynia.
In breastfeeding women.
In patients who need a biopsy as long as the lesion is visualized by ultrasound
How to prepare?
No preparation is required to perform the ultrasound.
Reasons for the procedure. Because?
The ladies are usually skeptical about why an ultrasound should be done: We need to say that ultrasound is a complementary test to mammography and that it is performed as directed.
What will you notice?
You will only notice that they put a cold ice on the area to be explored to better see the image and then they will place the transducer (apparatus) on it.
It does not give any kind of pain, but can sometimes be a little annoying for women who have cysts or inflammation of the chest, it may also be with menstruation or ovulation as the breast is more disturbed and more sensitive.
What did we see? What do we expect?
Through ultrasound we will see the structure of the breast internally as: skin, breast tissue, mammary ducts, muscle and ribs. In addition to the structure of the breast we can find lesions that can be solid or liquid as long as they are not very small. We will also be able to see the location, number, size and shape of the lesions.
Risks and complications
There is no risk on ultrasound because unlike mammography it does not work with radiation.
The only complications we may have will be in the case of a biopsy.
Post-test discomfort
There is no post-ultrasound discomfort.
Once we are done what do we do?
Once the test is completed, the healthcare staff will tell you where the result is headed:
If the patient is monitored in the hospital, they will pass the results to their doctor.
If the patient is from another center, we will send the result to the destination center in 10 days.
Complementary tests
Occasionally more tests are required to complete the study; Ultrasound is usually the complementary study of mammography but may also be the other way around.
