Mammography

Importance of Mammography

Mammography is a radiological diagnostic technique that allows for early detection of any breast lesions. The careful study of the breasts allows to identify even small anomalies, such as microcalcifications.

For this reason, its diagnostic efficacy is superior to clinical palpation, which can only identify lesions larger than one centimeter.
An early diagnosis is essential because it allows to safeguard the health of the woman and the integrity of the breast. It is estimated that over 97% of breast cancers diagnosed at an early stage resolve positively in the following 5 years. advanced, the possibilities for treatment and recovery are much more limited.
Therefore, mammography must first of all have a preventive character and must not be seen by the patient as a simple diagnostic tool. Its repetition at regular intervals is essential to prevent and defeat what is the most widespread malignant tumor in terms of incidence and mortality. in the female population.
The diagnostic efficacy of mammography can be reduced by some factors, such as the presence of implants, the age of less than 50 years, the density of the glandular tissue and never having breastfeed.
In particular, under the age of 40 it must be considered that poor diagnostic precision, in addition to requiring large economic costs, in many cases leads to the discovery of false positives, generating unnecessary fears in the young woman and subjecting her to further investigations which in many cases prove to be useless. .

Insights

How it is done

The execution of the examination should not frighten the patient in the least. It is a simple, standardized procedure that does not require special attention.
Mammography does not require any type of preparation; no drugs are administered and no fasting or observance of particular dietary rules is required.
The examination is normally not painful and for this reason no form of anesthesia is performed.
It lasts about ten minutes on average and there is no need for third party assistance.

Mammography is performed with the help of a special radiological instrument called a mammograph.
This instrument is able to project an X-ray beam directly onto the breast.

In order to make the image clearer and to minimize the radiation doses, the breast is placed on a special support and lightly compressed between two plasticized plates. In this way the adipose and glandular tissues are compressed and dissociated making easier the their examination.
Normally two projections are made, one from above, and the other from the side (cranio-caudal and mediolateral oblique direction) for each breast for a total of four radiographs. The compression and acquisition time lasts a few seconds and normally does not cause particular annoyances or inconveniences. Only in the presence of hypersensitivity, the procedure can be annoying, but, given the short compression times, the annoyance is more than bearable.
If the situation makes it necessary, the doctor will be able to perform further projections to identify any anomalies with greater certainty.
The mammography unit is used exclusively to monitor the situation of the breast and, like all machines, is subject to wear and technological developments.

Mammography and mammography "