August 6, 2009 - The use of digital breast tomosynthesis and full-field digital mammography (FFDM) combined may be associated with a substantial decrease in recall rate, according to a study performed at UPMC in Pittsburgh, Penn., published in the American Roentgen Ray Society.
An estimated 10 percent of women in the United States are recalled for a second mammogram after an abnormality is detected on the first one. Some researchers believe that digital breast tomosynthesis depicts the breast tissue in a way which may allow radiologists to identify some tumors which could be missed with standard two-dimensional mammography.
In the study, 125 patients were evaluated using a combined method of digital breast tomosynthesis and standard digital mammography. The use of digital breast tomosynthesis and FFDM was associated with a 30 percent reduction in recall rate for cancer-free examinations that would have led to recall if FFDM had been used alone, reported Jules H. Sumkin, M.D., one of the authors of the study.
Source: American Roentgen Ray Society.
For more information: http://www.ajronline.org
July 29, 2024 
