Mammography Flashcards
🎗 A ___ is a prominent area of glandular tissue easily palpated. This is often mistaken for a ___.
Fibrous Ridge; a mass
What’s the difference between a BSE and a CBE?
Breast Self-Exam and Clinical Breast Exam.
One is performed by the individual and one by the care provider.
🎗 BSE includes ___ and ___ in both an upright and supine position.
visual inspection and palpitation
🎗 T/F? Most cancers are missed by BSE and CBE.
FALSE. Most are found by BSE and CBE.
On average, mammography will detect __% of breast cancers in women without symptoms.
80-90%
🎗 What ensures that mammography is safe and diagnostic?
The Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 (MQSA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR)
Why is compression used in mammography? (4)
- Thin the breast for even xray exposure
- Reduce radiation scattering by decreasing breast thickness
- Reduce motion
- Prevent tissue overlap
How many projections/views are obtained in a screening mammogram?
Two. More may be taken if abnormalities are found.
🎗 Which is the most valuable mammographic view?
Medio-Lateral Oblique (MLO)
🎗 The MLO view estimates the location of a mass either __ or __ to the nipple with slight variation due to the __.
superior, inferior, obliquity (angle)
🎗 Which is the second most valuable mammographic view?
Cranio-Caudal (CC)
🎗 The CC view describes the location of a mass either __ or __ to the nipple.
medial or lateral
Describe the Lateral view in mammography.
True lateral, with beam parallel to the floor. Can be mediolateral (ML) or lateromedial (LM).
(tumor will be closer to the film aka the 2nd letter)
Which mammographic view most accurately demonstrates the location of a mass in the superior or inferior quadrants?
Lateral
What allows for maximum compression of a specific area to obtain high quality images?
Spot compression view obtained with a smaller compression paddle
This mammographic view is most valuable when there is a lesion suspected in the most medial portion of the breast.
Cleavage view (CV)
What mammographic views did 3D mammography make obsolete? (3)
- Axillary Tail view
- Rolled view
- Special implant views (Implant Displaced or Eklund)
What’s the other name for 3D mammography?
tomosynthesis
What are the letters in the mammogram marker?
The tech’s initials
T/F? The mammogram marker is always on the medial side in CC views.
FALSE, the lateral side (in the axilla)
You need __ views to pinpoint a breast mass on mammogram.
2
🎗What’s MULD stand for?
Medial Up, Lateral Down
What are the three basic types of densities identified on mammography?
- fat density (low absorption)
- water density (medium absorption)
- calcium density (high absorption)
🎗What shade are fat densities on mammograms?
dark to medium gray (radiolucent)
What shade are water densities on mammograms?
light gray (radiopaque)
What shade are calcium densities on mammograms?
white (radiopaque)
What types of tissues are water density? (3)
- fibroglandular tissue
- cysts
- tumors (benign & malignant)
Mammography may miss more than __% of cancers present in dense breasts.
50%
What percentage of women have fatty breasts?
10%
What percentage of women have scattered density breasts?
40%
What percentage of women have heterogeneously dense breasts?
40%
What percentage of women have extremely dense breasts?
10%
Normally fibroglandular tissue decreases with age. Why might it increase?
lactating, HRT, or weight loss
What are the terms for the shapes of tumors in mammograms? (4)
- round
- oval
- lobulated
- irregular
Which shapes on mammograms are likely to be benign?
- round
- oval
- lobulated
Which shapes on mammograms are suspicious for malignancy?
- lobulated
2. irregular
🎗 The most common shape of breast cancer on mammography is __.
irregular
What are the terms for the margins of tumors in mammograms? (6)
- smooth/circumscribed
- macro-lobulated
- micro-lobulated (usually <2mm)
- indistinct
- angular
- spiculated
🎗Describe angular margins.
irregular and jagged - highly sensitive for malignancy
Which kinds of margins are likely to be benign?
- smooth
2. macrolobulated
Which kinds of margins are likely to be malignant?
- microlobulated
- indistinct
- angular
- spiculated
What is the least predictive characteristic for malignancy on mammograms?
density
🎗What structures are fat densities/radiolucent?
🎗fat, fatty cysts, and lipomas (benign)
What structures are of mixed fat and water density?
lymph nodes, galactocele (benign), fibroadenolipoma (benign)
🎗What structures are water density/radioopaque?
glandular tissue, connective tissue, ducts, muscle, hematoma, phyllodes (benign or malignant)
🎗cysts, fibroadenoma (benign), malignant tumors
T/F? Calcifications can occur in both benign and malignant breast disease.
true
Name the types of benign calcifications. (4)
- vascular (appear as calcified tubes)
- large/coarse (aka popcorn calcs, larger than 1 mm, associated with degenerating fibroadenoma)
- rod-shaped (calcium deposited into ducts)
- rim/eggshell (rounded or crescent shaped, associated w/ calcium deposited into cysts)
Name the types of suspicious calcifications. (3)
- micro/pinpoint (less than 1 mm, sometimes malignant)
- flake-shaped (indistinct, fuzzy, probably malignant)
- linear branching (interrupted fine lines within ducts, usually malignant)
What is a diffuse calcification pattern?
scattered randomly, benign
What is a clusted calcification pattern?
microcalcs grouped tightly together, malignant
What is a segmental calcification pattern?
suggests the calcs follow a ductal system, malignant
What is a regional calcification pattern?
covering a segment or quadrant of the breast, malignant
