Ultrasound The Clinical Breast Radiologists of the Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center make extensive use of high resolution breast ultrasound in many situations. It is invaluable in evaluating children, teenagers and young women who have lumps without exposing them to radiation while their breasts are developing. At KCBC, we regularly find masses in women with mammographically dense breasts, which are obscured on the mammogram. Questioned physical findings and mammographic findings are often clarified with breast ultrasound by our experienced staff. Ultrasound is also useful in evaluating lumps in the underarm or the post-mastectomy chest wall, areas not accessible to x-ray. Ultrasound is more sensitive than the mammogram in demonstrating silicone leaks from implants. The Clinical Breast Radiologists make extensive use of ultrasound for accurate guidance of needles for cyst aspirations and needle biopsies.
While breast ultrasound is now being practiced more widely, it is highly operator dependent. Our staff has had extensive training and experience in the application and interpretation of high resolution breast ultrasound and performs it regularly. Our sonographers' diagnostic abilities are enhanced by their performance of a physical examination and knowledge of the mammographic findings prior to scanning the breast. This enhances our ability to find subtle lesions. Furthermore, our Clinical Breast Radiologists' extensive experience in correlating imaging findings with the pathology findings of our needle biopsies enhances their diagnostic abilities in interpreting the ultrasound studies.
