Breast Ultrasound
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What is the
test?
Ultrasound uses sound waves instead of radiation
to generate snapshots or moving pictures of structures
inside the body. This imaging technique works
in a manner similar to radar and sonar, developed
in World War II to detect airplanes, missiles,
and submarines that were otherwise invisible.
After coating your skin with a lubricant to reduce
friction, a radiologist or ultrasound technician
places an ultrasound transducer, which looks
like a microphone, on your skin and may rub it
back and forth to get the right view. The transducer
sends sound waves into your body and picks up
the echoes of the sound waves as they bounce
off internal organs and tissue. A computer transforms
these echoes into an image that is displayed
on a monitor.
A breast ultrasound can indicate whether a breast
lump is caused by a fluid-filled cyst or a solid
mass, such as cancer.
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How
do I prepare for the test?
No preparation is necessary.
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What
happens when the test is performed?
As you lie on your back on a table, a technician
or doctor squirts some clear jelly onto your
skin to help the ultrasound sensor slide around
easily and places the sensor against your skin.
An image of your abdominal organs appears on
a video screen, and the technician or doctor
moves the sensor back and forth on the area of
your breast that is being examined to see the
tissue inside from many different views.
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What
risks are there from the test?
There are no risks.
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Must
I do anything special after the test is over?
No.
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How
long is it before the result of the test is
known?
As with abdominal ultrasound, this depends on
whether a radiologist is able to read the image
immediately. Usually a technician performs the
test and is not able to provide any results.
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