Breast Imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive medical test that physicians use to diagnose and treat medical conditions. Images of the breast tissue are acquired using dedicated breast coils, various imaging techniques and in most cases a gadolinium injection is also administered.
MRI of the breast offers valuable information about many breast conditions that cannot be obtained by other imaging modalities, such as mammography or ultrasound.
Uses of breast imaging
- To screen women at high risk for breast cancer
- To evaluate breast implants
- As a follow-up to post chemotherapy treatment in patients getting Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
- To further evaluate hard-to-assess abnormalities seen on mammograms
- To evaluate lumpectomy sites in the years following breast cancer treatment
- To determine the extent of cancer after a new diagnosis of breast cancer
Benefits
- Procedure is noninvasive and does not require use of ionizing radiation
- Successfully images dense breasts in younger women
- Successfully images breast implants
- Provides guidance for biopsy
- Valuable in detection and staging of breast cancer
- When used alongside mammography, is quite useful in evaluating women with high risk for breast cancer
