Are there any alternatives to mammography that are effective, like ultrasound or MRI?
Traditional ultrasound, which uses sound waves to produce a picture of the deep breast tissues, is not an alternative to mammography. Sometimes ultrasound is used to examine a breast lump that shows up on a mammogram because ultrasound gives a better picture of a fluid-filled cyst. You may have heard about a new kind of ultrasound in the news that can be used to help diagnose lumps that look suspicious on a mammogram. This new kind of ultrasound machine has been shown in at least one study to reduce the need for biopsy. Ultrasound should not be considered a replacement for mammography, but rather a supplementary procedure. There is some interest in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). MRI apparently gives good pictures of the breast, but it is a very expensive procedure. In the future, MRI exams may prove to be particularly helpful in young, high-risk women for whom traditional mammography is poorly suited. What about the new kind of ultrasound? There is a newly developed ultrasound machi
