Digital Mammography and Tomosynthesis

In the past, mammography used film to capture pictures of your breast tissue. Digital mammography has mostly superseded this method in most of the world. Before diving into the difference between digital mammography and tomosynthesis, let us discuss these two methods.

Digital Mammography

As with conventional mammography, digital mammography employs low-dose X-rays for an accurate picture of the breast tissue. Unlike traditional mammograms, digital mammograms do not utilize film to process pictures but rather a computer to record the breast tissue as a digital image. These photos may be shared and saved in your e-health record much more easily, and they are more accurate as well as quicker to produce.

Tomosynthesis

Tomosynthesis is a standard term for digital breast tomosynthesis. It is the latest tech that has yet to be extensively used in America. Low-dose X-rays are used to obtain pictures of the breast tissue, just like digital mammography. However, digital Breast Tomosynthesis uses an X-ray machine that spins in an arc to take several pictures of the tissue from various angles, then processed to generate a 3D image of the breast. Since a normal mammogram only captures photos from the front and side, this gives a more detailed image.

Contrast Between Digital Mammography and Tomosynthesis

Everybody well understands the value of mammograms in maintaining good breast health. However, as technology advances, it is becoming more necessary to grasp the different mammography methods accessible.

Quite simply, a mammogram is an x-ray examination of the breast that is performed using a Mammography machine that is particularly built to inspect and make a digital image of the breast tissue. Mammography employs a lesser dosage of radiation in comparison to other types of x-rays.

There are two glass plates in a conventional digital mammography machine that compress the breasts to get a clearer picture. However, overlapping occurs in the breast tissue because of the compression, some of which may make imaging difficult to read at times. As a consequence, women who have thick breasts often need extra mammographic spot images during their examination.

Tomosynthesis is also a kind of mammography that uses three-dimensional imaging to create pictures of the breast. This geometric or linear technique, which has been in use since the 1930s but has only lately been applied to mammography, is a new development. A large number of hospitals discontinue providing this service because it is deemed to be new.

2D and 3D Digital Mammography

This 3D technique was designed to increase the precision of mammography and to clarify regions of overlapping tissue that were previously difficult to distinguish. Tomosynthesis compresses the breast in the same manner as mammography, except the x-ray tube travels in a circular arc over the breast instead of the traditional arc. Only a little amount of pressure is required to keep the breast in place. The 3D picture of breast tissue is made up of one-millimeter slices, allowing radiologists to view more features in the tissue because of the increased visibility. A machine equipped with tomosynthesis may conduct 2-dimensional digital mammography, 3-dimensional digital mammography, and a mix of both 2D and 3D digital mammography in a single compression.

Mammography combined with breast tomosynthesis has a significant influence on reducing the number of women who are subjected to unnecessarily recalling or having biopsies performed. Given how much less costly tomosynthesis is becoming, it is quite likely that technology will eventually replace traditional mammography. It will only have a minimal impact on the number of tumors that are discovered.

Only a few mammography equipment are now commercially available that are capable of performing tomosynthesis.

However, only one of these products has been authorized for use in the United States.

Many research studies have shown that 3D mammography, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis. Improves the accuracy of mammography findings when compared to conventional 2D digital mammography. The optimal outcome for a woman who decides to get mammography is to have the greatest possible result, which nearly often implies 3D instead of 2D.

Patients will see little difference between 2-dimension and 3-dimension mammograms. Indeed, several women are unaware they received 3D mammography until after their test as they are identical to a 2D mammogram. The location and pressure are the same as they were before. Some women may actually find the compression more pleasant because of the more flexible paddles on certain 3D tomosynthesis devices.

Fewer false alarms

The information offered by 3D mammography is undeniably superior to that provided by 2D. There are far fewer false alarms than there were before. False alarms cause women you’re your doctor system distress, discomfort, and financial consequences. Tomosynthesis may reduce recalls by as much as 40% in certain cases. As opposed to 2D mammography, which provides a single flat image of the breast, 3D mammography creates numerous images of the breast, allowing the user to see through tiny layers of breast tissue in a more detailed manner. For example, what seems to be a suspicious location on a 2D mammography and requires further investigation with further mammograms may appear to be typical on a 3D mammogram and may not need further investigation. 

False results on 2D mammograms are often caused by two or more normal regions of breast tissue being stacked on top of one another on a single image. When using 3D mammography, the region may be plainly observed to be normal since radiologists are able to look through the tissue at a layer-by-layer level. Through the use of 3D mammography, it is possible to prevent such needless recalls.

Improvements in Cancer Detection

The fact that 3D mammography is more effective at detecting breast cancer is perhaps much more significant to women undergoing screening. When used in conjunction with mammography, tomosynthesis may detect malignancies that would otherwise go undetected. This is especially true in regions of thick tissue, which appear white on a mammogram. A 40% increase in the detection of invasive tumors may be shown with the use of tomography. Improved and earlier diagnosis means more lives might be spared from breast cancer. However, the tissue does not have to be very thick in order to reap the benefits of tomosynthesis. Even ladies with a lower density of thick tissue may have superior outcomes. Some women with thick tissue may benefit from additional procedures. Such as ultrasound, even though tomosynthesis can identify all breast tumors.

Beyond Screening Benefits 

While the advantages of tomosynthesis in screening are twofold. Fewer false alarms and improved cancer detection — the advantages extend beyond the screening test. To avoid further mammograms, many women with a true discovery may be eligible to get ultrasounds instead of additional screenings. We can save radiation and money by reducing the extra testing required since screening tomosynthesis can be used to locate. And describe problems. Furthermore, 3D tomosynthesis performs better than 2D digital mammography. Fewer women will need follow-up exams sooner than they would otherwise require. The accuracy of biopsy suggestions is also improved as a result. The frequency of biopsies performed on women who have not had cancer decreases as biopsy guidelines get more accurate. Another benefit of tomosynthesis is that it is non-invasive.