Taking care of the appearance and he alth of your breasts has become an exemplary fashion. Because a woman who has regular check-ups may feel safe. Breast tests include: breast ultrasound, mammography, and breast biopsy. What does this test look like and when is it done?

Breast examinationsare still not available as part of theinsurance coverage, but for your own peace of mind, if you are unable to do them as part of preventive programs, do them privately. Especially since they are not very expensive. Forbreast ultrasoundyou will pay PLN 50-200, and formammographyfrom PLN 100.

Breast examination: Breast ultrasound

Breast ultrasound is simple and painless. The condition of the nipples is checked with ultrasound. The test can be performed at any time in the cycle, although it is much better to do it in the first half. The device used for the test uses the fact that tissues with a different density reflect sound waves differently. The doctor looks at the reflected signals on the monitor. In the lying patient, the doctor lubricates the breasts with a gel, which facilitates the transmission of signals. Then she puts the head of the camera to each breast and looks at the tissue on the monitor centimeter by centimeter. The examination allows to detect changes in the size of approx. 5 mm and to distinguish a solid tumor from an ordinary cyst. Ultrasound is not a substitute for mammography. These are complementary research.

Breast examination: mammography

Mammography involves x-rays of the breast with a small dose of x-rays. First, one and then the other breast is placed on a special plate and pressed against the other. Then the breast is placed on a plate that is slightly oblique. It's best to go for a mammogram in the second half of the cycle. Using a conventional apparatus, nodules 3 mm in size can be detected. Digital mammographs allow you to recognize changes in the size of 1 mm. In both cases, the test is performed in the same way. The difference is that the image from the digital camera appears on the monitor screen and not on the photographic film. It can be freely enlarged, viewed from different angles and in selected fragments. Since it remains in the computer's memory, it is easy to compare the results obtained at different times.

What should you know about breast examination?

Important

The diameter of the lump found in women who have never examined their breasts is 40 mm, and in those who check their breasts every month - 12 mm. And they know he isthe smaller it is, the greater the chances of a complete recovery. But self-examination does not exempt women from regularly visiting their gynecologist and asking for a doctor to palpate, get ultrasound and mammography.

Breast examinations: breast biopsies

When ultrasound or mammography results bother the doctor, they refer the patient for a biopsy.

  • fine-needle biopsy - involves puncturing the detected nodule with a needle with a diameter of 0.6 mm. When the lump cannot be felt with your fingers, the puncture is performed under ultrasound or mammography guidance. The material sucked in through the needle is examined by a pathologist under a microscope. The soreness of the examination can be compared to the pain of a simple injection. The puncture does not disseminate cancer cells or make the lump malignant.
  • core-needle biopsy - is ordered when the fine-needle biopsy did not help diagnose the lesion. The procedure is painful and is performed under local anesthesia. The needle with which the material for analysis is taken is 3 mm thick. A histopathological examination is then performed to confirm or rule out the presence of cancerous cells and determine if they are benign or malignant.
  • mammotomy biopsy - mammoths consist of a vacuum generating apparatus and a 3 mm diameter needle with a side cut through which the samples are taken. The woman is lying on her stomach, the breast is fixed in the opening. Thanks to the rotary mechanism, material can be collected from several tumor fragments during one injection. It is approx. 2 cm3 at a time. Before the examination, local anesthesia is administered.

Read more: Biopsy - indications and the course of the examination

Breast examination: MRI of the breast

Breast MRI is performed when previous methods have failed or the results are unclear. Magnetic resonance imaging is also done in women who have implanted silicone inserts. Before the examination, contrast is injected. The patient is lying on a platform which is slid inside the device. The doctor observes the part of the body being examined on the monitor. It is created as a result of the interaction of electromagnetic waves. Lesions are recognized by the amount of contrast accumulated in the tissues. The sick absorb much more of it. People with a pacemaker, artificial valve or other metal prosthesis are not MRI.

You must do it

See a doctor immediately if you feel

  • pain in one breast
  • pain in one place, sometimes with exudate
  • enlargement of a previously sensed nodule
  • lymph nodes enlargement under the armpit and above the collarbone
  • change the size or shape of onebreasts
  • appearance of dimples or wrinkles on the skin of the breast
  • deformation of the nipple or its areola

Calendar of examinations: ultrasound or mammography

ageevery womanwoman with hereditary burden
20-29every year - medical examinationevery year - examination by a doctor, every year - ultrasound after the age of 25
30-35every year - medical examinationevery year - examination by a doctor, every six months - ultrasound and first mammography if they are over 35
36-49every six months - examination by a doctor, every year - ultrasound, every 2 years - mammography (after 40 years of age)annual examination by a doctor, every six months - ultrasound, annual mammography
50-65every six months a doctor's examination, every six months - ultrasound, every year - mammographyevery six months - examination by a doctor, every six months - ultrasound, every six months - mammography

Category:

Research