Screening Breast Ultrasound
Screening Breast Ultrasounds at KCBC are Safe and Non-Invasive
Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center is proud to provide state-of-the-art breast cancer ultrasounds at our Knoxville, TN facility. A breast ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create breast tissue images in real-time. This safe, non-invasive diagnostic imaging tool is often recommended after breast abnormalities have been discovered during a physical exam or mammogram. Breast ultrasounds can help diagnose breast cancer symptoms, monitor the size of cysts or lumps in the breasts, and guide the needle placement during a biopsy procedure. If you are considered at high risk for breast cancer and cannot undergo a breast MRI due to pregnancy or other health concerns, ultrasound can be a valuable breast cancer screening tool. Talk to our team today to learn more.
Who Benefits Most from Additional Breast Ultrasounds?
Although every woman has a unique mammographic pattern, there are four basic breast pattern types. Certain dense mammographic patterns make it challenging for ultrasensitive mammography equipment to detect breast cancer. Because a breast cancer mass is usually white, it is often difficult to see it on a mammogram. Mammography can miss seeing as much as 40-50% of breast cancers on certain breast pattern types, meaning a negative mammogram with a dense mammographic pattern is not a sufficient breast cancer screening tool on its own. KCBC has always taken a proactive role in informing women who have a dense mammographic pattern that additional imaging, such as a breast ultrasound, would be beneficial for breast cancer screening. Some women are aware they have a dense mammographic pattern. They may already be KCBC patients who have had a mammogram and breast ultrasound as part of their annual wellness visit. These women know the limitations of a dense mammogram in detecting breast cancer or have been informed by another facility they have a dense mammogram.
What Happens During a Breast Cancer Ultrasound?
You will be asked to lie flat on your back with your arms raised over your head on an examination table. We will apply a warm, water-based gel to your breasts to help guide the high-frequency sound waves that produce the breast tissue images. A small probe called a transducer is ran back and forth over your breasts. We may use Doppler technology to check your breasts’ blood flow to see if a mass is disrupting it. You shouldn’t feel any discomfort during this procedure. Once complete, the gel is wiped off, and you’ll be able to get dressed while our team analyzes the images. If any abnormalities are detected in your ultrasound, we will discuss it and next steps with you.