Among the various diagnostic methods for examining the breast, the most popular are ultrasound and mammography (x-ray). These procedures have various indications, possibilities, and are intended for certain categories of women, as a result of which doctors use them comprehensively to clarify the diagnosis. To understand how mammography differs from ultrasound of the mammary glands, it is necessary to consider the features of each procedure.
general characteristics
To identify the differences between mammography and ultrasound examination of the breast, you must first define these concepts.
Mammography is a research method that is carried out using x-ray radiation. This method is famous for its effectiveness and is used for screening, that is, a comprehensive physical examination in women whose age is over forty.
It’s not difficult to find a good mammologist in St. Petersburg. Each diagnostic center has specialists in this field. Choosing which one to contact, you can ask for feedback on their work. Many patients praise Khokhlova S.V., who is not only a mammologist, but also a surgeon, proctologist, and oncologist. Good reviews about Dolmatova G.D., Nikitina E.F., Osokin A.V. In total, mammologists in St. Petersburg have more than 200 people.
Ultrasound of the mammary glands is a research method for detecting breast diseases through ultrasound rays. This method is completely safe and therefore recommended for patients from twenty years or more.
Thanks to mammography, it is possible to assess the general condition of the breast glands, to diagnose various formations of a pathological nature, including calcifications (accumulation of calcium salts) and a cyst. It also allows you to determine the condition of the milk ducts, which is quite difficult to do with ultrasound. But then ultrasound is much more effective in the diagnosis of various tumors in the woman’s breast - both benign and malignant. This information can answer the question of how mammography differs from ultrasound of the mammary glands. But these studies have other differences.
Options
Mammography currently has two options.
1) An analog x-ray of the classical type, with a fixed image on the film.
2) Digital, when the image is received on the monitor in digital format. In this case, a minimum of radiation exposure appears on the chest.
Another widely used method of mammography examination in medicine is ductography, which is an x-ray using a contrast medium. Thanks to him, you can see on the monitor or picture the smallest formations in the ducts (for example, papillomas).
With the help of ultrasound, dopplerometry of the mammary glands is performed, that is, a study of blood flow in the female breast. Such an analysis is indispensable in the comprehensive diagnosis of cancer of this organ.
When is a study required?
To get a referral for mammography, a woman needs to reach a specific age, because an x-ray is done only after thirty-five to forty years. A number of experts insist on a more definite border - only after forty. Prior to this, if there are complaints, the patient is scanned using ultrasound.
What is mammography, we examined. We add that it is carried out in the presence of the following indications:
- seals in the chest of various types;
- discharge from the nipples, as well as changes in their shape or color;
- protrusion or retraction of any part of the mammary gland;
swelling and / or chest pain.
Many women ask which ultrasound or mammography is safer. In principle, both methods do not pose a major threat to health. But ultrasound is a more benign study than an x-ray. This question will be considered in more detail below.
When an X-ray is required
This study should be done once a year for preventive purposes for all women after they reach the age of forty, and after fifty - once every six months. When the patient is at risk, mammography can be recommended from the age of thirty-five. The risk group includes women who have been diagnosed with benign tumors, mastitis or mastopathy, as well as obesity, infertility, hormonal disorders and various operations performed on the mammary gland. This is what mammography is. Let us consider in more detail the features of ultrasound.
Examining the mammary glands with this method is possible at any age and as many times as required - both for diagnosis and prevention. There is an impressive list of indications for this procedure:
- with peeling or redness of the skin of the chest;
- uncomfortable sensations in the chest, including accompanying critical days;
- nodules or seals that are felt during palpation;
- changes in the color or shape of the nipple, swelling or retraction;
- with an increase in lymph nodes in the axillary region or the presence of edema in this place;
- the allocation of fluid from the nipples of different volumes and colors;
- complaints of a woman in the lactation period on lumbar pain, temperature, loss of appetite, weakness;
- when diagnosed with a relative of breast cancer.
How is mammography different from breast ultrasound?
Features of the preparation and conduct
Considering how mammography differs from ultrasound of the mammary glands, you need to pay attention to the issue of preparation for these procedures. In principle, there are no differences. Both for a mammographic examination and for ultrasound, no special preparation is needed.
There is only one medical recommendation - to carry out the procedure in the first two weeks after the completion of menstruation. During this period, you can more easily discern any changes in the chest. In addition, on the day of analysis, patients are forbidden to use perfumes and deodorants, and before scanning and x-rays, jewelry must be removed.
The procedure for conducting chest x-rays is as follows:
A woman should undress to the waist, and then stand up or sit down. A paramedic covers her stomach with a lead apron. Then he places a special plate on each breast of the patient. It covers them with another plate from above, takes a picture, which is displayed on the screen or on film. The entire procedure takes no more than twenty minutes.
Ultrasound scanning is performed in a classic way for this procedure. The patient needs to bare her breasts. The doctor puts a special gel on them and starts scanning. Ultrasonic waves are reflected from mammary gland tissues, as a result of which a picture appears on the monitor.
Mammography specifics
The advantages of a mammographic examination include:
- the procedure is optimal for prophylactic analysis of patients after forty;
- the ability to assess the condition of the female breast in the smallest details;
- research of milk ducts;
- It is especially effective for detecting dense formations and cysts of various sizes (in comparison with ultrasound);
- used for the diagnosis of calcifications;
- the cost of such a procedure is two to three times lower than ultrasound.
Where can I get a mammogram? This procedure is carried out in medical diagnostic centers. For example, in St. Petersburg, you can contact the diagnostic centers "Energo", "Allergomed", clinic of the Ministry of Emergencies №1 named after Nikiforova, "MEDIS" and others. The cost of the study ranges from 500 to 1500 rubles.
disadvantages
Mammography has certain disadvantages:
- potential x-ray hazard;
- discomfort during the study (during compression of the chest with plates);
- the method is uninformative for women under forty years of age, since the breast tissue is very dense;
- while carrying a baby and breastfeeding, it is useless to conduct an examination using mammography;
- it is impossible to take a picture of a small or too large breast (from a technical point of view).
The specifics of ultrasound
Consider what an ultrasound of the mammary glands in women shows . If we compare the scan with x-ray, then it has quite a few advantages:
- thanks to ultrasound, it is possible to diagnose pathological formations with a size of half a centimeter;
- allows you to see the lymph nodes and timely establish the presence of metastases;
- It is completely painless and safe;
- the use of ultrasound with Doppler makes it possible to assess chest blood flow and determine neoplasms;
- Ultrasound is recommended for women under forty, as well as for expectant mothers and during lactation;
- use as a control method during a puncture (X-ray replacement);
- with its help it is possible to examine patients with any size of a breast;
- used for examination of male mammary glands.
Ultrasound also has disadvantages:
- low efficiency for assessing the condition of the milk ducts;
- the inability to detect accumulations of calcium salts in the chest;
- is less accurate in detecting cancer (the results are false positive in more than fifty percent of cases).
But what is more informative - breast ultrasound or mammography?
Advantages and disadvantages of both methods
There is much debate regarding the use of X-rays, and mammography is no exception. Opponents of this procedure believe that radiation can cause damage to health and provoke the appearance of a tumor even when applied once a year. There is no scientific basis for such statements, however, many patients think that ultrasound is safer than x-rays. In fact, breast examination, ultrasound or mammography have their pros and cons.
It is impossible to say unequivocally which method is better, since each of them has its own characteristics. There are differences in the diagnostic principles of each method. For example, ultrasound is one of the safest non-invasive therapeutic methods. Mammography allows not only to identify pathological formations, but also to determine their nature.
When a specialist chooses one or another method for a patient, various parameters are taken into account: age, examination results, etc. In some cases, both methods are used simultaneously to supplement the picture of the disease. If you have doubts about the effectiveness of the prescribed method, you can always be examined in a paid clinic.
We examined in detail how mammography differs from ultrasound of the mammary glands.