Korean J Radiol.  2010 Dec;11(6):589-593. 10.3348/kjr.2010.11.6.589.

Supplementary Screening Sonography in Mammographically Dense Breast: Pros and Cons

• Youk JH
• Kim EK

• KMID: 1119220
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2010.11.6.589

Abstract

Sonography is an attractive supplement to mammography in breast cancer screening because it is relatively inexpensive, requires no contrast-medium injection, is well tolerated by patients, and is widely available for equipment as compared with MRI. Sonography has been especially valuable for women with mammographically dense breast because it has consistently been able to detect a substantial number of cancers at an early stage. Despite these findings, breast sonography has known limitations as a screening tool; operator-dependence, the shortage of skilled operators, the inability to detect microcalcifications, and substantially higher false-positive rates than mammography. Further study of screening sonography is still ongoing and is expected to help establish the role of screening sonography.

Keyword

Breast screening; Screening ultrasound; Breast cancer

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Breast Neoplasms/pathology/radiography/*ultrasonography
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Humans
Mammography
Mass Screening
Observer Variation
Predictive Value of Tests
*Ultrasonography, Mammary

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