Breast Ultrasound Services
John C. Lincoln Breast Health and Research Center
19646 N. 27th Ave., Suite 205
Phoenix, Arizona
Map and directions
Call 623-780-HOPE (4673) to schedule a mammogram today
At the John C. Lincoln Breast Health and Research Center, high-frequency breast ultrasound is an important tool for diagnosing breast cancer. We use GE Healthcare's premium ultrasound system—the Logiq E9—to capture breast images with stunning quality. Ultrasound helps us pinpoint where to perform needle biopsies, as well.
Yet, as our medical staff explains in this interview, ultrasound is ultimately a supporting diagnostic tool. Mammography remains the leading method to detect cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage.
What is breast ultrasound?
Breast ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images for breast tissues. A handheld tool called a transducer is passed over the breast. The sound waves are sent to a computer, which translates signals into an image.
Breast ultrasound does not have X-ray capability. However, a mammogram does have X-ray capability. For this reason, we must use mammography and ultrasound together. Breast ultrasound, on its own, is not a stand-alone diagnostic tool.
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| Breast ultrasound helps specialists diagnose what is found in a mammogram and determine the contents of a lump — whether it's a solid mass or a fluid-filled, benign cyst. |
In other words, breast ultrasound is a supporting diagnostic tool?
That's perfectly stated. It is important to understand that ultrasound is used in addition to mammography, not instead of mammography.
Unfortunately, some women are afraid of having a mammogram, because they have heard stories about how painful it can be. This is not true. Perhaps they hear that breast ultrasound can serve as a substitute for mammography. This is not true, either.
What is true is this: In digital mammography, compressing the breast is tremendously helpful in finding breast calcifications—things the size of grains of salt—when breast cancer is at its earliest, most treatable stage.
How are mammography and breast ultrasound used in concert with each other?
A mammogram is an X-ray, and a breast ultrasound is a sound wave.
Breast ultrasound helps us diagnose what is found in a mammogram. While a mammogram might show a lump on a monitor, ultrasound will help us determine the contents of a lump—whether it's a solid mass or a fluid-filled, benign cyst.
As we roll the transducer over the breast, the sound wave penetrates into the tissue. If it hits a mass that contains fluid, the sound wave reacts one way. If it hits a solid mass, it reacts another way. That is how we know what is inside the lump.
Why else might breast ultrasound be useful?
Ultrasound is also a vitally important for finding some abnormalities that are not found in mammography—cysts that aren't very solid, like lobular cancers. But these types of findings are comparatively few in number. Again, ultrasound is used as a supporting modality.