Digital Diagnostic Mammography The Digital Diagnostic Mammography is used to investigate suspicious breast changes such as a breast lump, breast pain, an unusual skin appearance, nipple thickening or nipple discharge. It's also used to evaluate abnormal findings on a screening mammogram.
A marker is placed over any area of concern by the technologist prior to performing the mammogram. Additional specially focused views may be performed as needed under the direction of the Clinical Breast Radiologist. Patients with an abnormal screening mammogram or an abnormal mammogram from an outside institution also will be scheduled for a diagnostic visit. The Clinical Breast Radiologist may request additional specialized mammographic views to supplement the standard mammogram. The radiologist also determines whether additional information from ultrasound or needle biopsy is necessary.
Because of the direct involvement of the radiologist, diagnostic mammography is performed on site at the Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center.
Benefits Demonstrated for Specialized Mammogram Interpretation
A recent study (Radiology September 2002) confirms what radiologists have suspected: specialized breast radiologists detect more breast cancers and more early-stage cancers than their general radiologist counterparts. The specialists are able to do this while recalling fewer patients after screening mammograms. These results were expected, given that specialized breast imagers (such as Dr. Kozlowski and Dr. Wunderlich) read more mammograms and breast ultrasounds per year. Many breast radiologists read more mammograms in one month then the number of mammograms required to be read by radiologists in one year by the FDA. Breast radiologists do more needle biopsies and obtain direct pathologic correlation of what they have seen on the imaging study. Additionally, they attend more breast imaging conferences. Many breast centers do not have mammography-specialized radiologists; it is important to identify the general radiologist with a special interest in mammography.
