When someone goes through a digital breast tomosynthesis there is a possibility that the experts will find some masses. To evaluate those masses, ultrasound is one of the best options. Some recent studies have disclosed that ultrasound can work efficiently when it comes to following up DBT. Compared to other forms of testing, Ultrasound is quite safer as well as effective.
Recently, the European Journal of Radiology came up with a research journal. A group of researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center conducted this research. Dr. Jessica Porembka was the head of this team. Their research is suggesting that, in the case of breast masses, there is no necessity to opt for both ultrasound and mammography, after DBT.
It will reduce radiation exposure which is important for the health of the patient. On 5th August, the European Journal of Radiology published the research work. There, the researcher said that "DBT has been shown to be superior to conventional views in the diagnostic setting ... [and] women who already underwent screening DBT may be receiving unnecessary digital mammography prior to ultrasound imaging".
In addition, they also wrote that "This potentially adds unnecessary complexity, cost, and radiation exposure, as well as prolonged diagnostic workup times without adding significant value."
Well, compared to the digital mammography, DBT screening reduces the number of calls. However, sometimes it is imperative to follow up. Porembka and the team came to the point that there is a specific type of lesion found by DBT. In the case of those lesions, ultrasound can serve the purpose of follow up. There is no necessity for additional mammography. We already discussed that it reduces exposure to radiation.
The study involves 247 women with 266 non-calcified lesions. They did DBT to all those women between January 2014 to January 2016. Once they completed the condition of the test, they found a variety of lesions. Some of the lesions that they found are asymmetries, architectural distortions, masses, as well as focal asymmetries. Also, there are some lesions which the researchers found by conducting ultrasound after DBT.
The researchers also said, “Our results suggest that digital mammography following a screening recall with DBT may be beneficial for certain lesion types, including asymmetries and focal symmetries, while lesion types, such as masses and architectural distortion may be resolved entirely by ultrasound,” in the journal.
They tried to imply that with this finding, they can save a lot of women from the adverse effects of radiation. Besides, it will help a lot when it comes to saving costs. To be precise, doing ultrasound will save a considerable amount of money by avoiding additional mammography.
Their research also showed that ultrasound imaging provided a better result compared to the combination of DBT and Ultrasound. It played a better role when it comes to identifying true lesions as well as masses.
So, if you need to conduct a DBT or Ultrasound, you can head towards the Radiology Center at Harding. It is residing at Morristown, New Jersey.
