Digital Mammography for patients

Mammography is a low-dose X-ray of the breast. Together with physical breast examination, it has proven to be the safest and most effective method to screen for early breast cancer. Mammography can often detect a lump long before it can be felt through physical examination.

Mammography has a false negative (missed cancer) rate of about 10%. This is partially due to dense tissues obscuring the cancer and the fact that there is an overlap between normal and abnormal appearances on mammography.

RadLink operates on a digital mammography platform.

Scan Shows

Preparing for your mammogram

• avoid scheduling your mammogram during the week prior to your menstrual period. This helps avoid any breast swelling and tenderness that may occur just before your period
• plan to bring previous mammograms if they were performed elsewhere. If you can't bring films, please arrange to have the films sent to us

On the day of your exam

• wear a blouse or sweater (rather than a dress) to make it easier to undress. We'll give you a gown to wear
• do not use any deodorant, powder, perfume, creams or lotions in your underarm or breast areas because they leave a residue that can be picked up on the X-ray and could interfere with the mammogram results

The mammography examination

• the entire process for a screening mammography examination takes about half an hour and is performed by a female radiologic technologist
• during the procedure, your breast will be placed on a ledge adjusted to your height. Your breast will be gently compressed to even out the tissue, increase image quality and hold the breast still. Compression may be uncomfortable but is not harmful and will not damage breast tissue
• two projections are taken of each breast: one from the top and another from the side. Each exposure takes less than a second

After your mammogram

• our consultant radiologist studies the mammogram, and will send a report to your primary care physician
• approximately 85 to 90 percent of exams fall in the normal category. Less than 1 percent of the exams are suspicious for cancer. This leaves approximately 10 to 15 percent of the exams, which are abnormal, but of very low suspicion of cancer

For approximately 10 to 15 percent of women, further evaluation is necessary. This can include additional diagnostic mammograms under the direction of a consultant radiologist. These allow us to further evaluate any questionable areas. We might use a breast ultrasound (a painless scan) to find out if a mass seen on a mammogram is solid or liquid-filled (cystic). A cyst is rarely cancerous.