Did You Know?
Not all breasts are created equal.
Each woman has a unique breast tissue pattern, consisting of 3 different types of tissue: fibrous, glandular, and fatty which determine a woman’s breast density.
Do you know your breast density?
Breast density can only be measured by mammography, and falls into 1 of 4 categories, ranging from A through D: (A being the least dense, and D being the most dense).
A– Almost entirely fatty
B– Scattered areas of fibroglandular density
C– Heterogeneously dense
D– Extremely Dense
Women whose density is classified in categories C or D are considered to have dense breasts; These women have higher percentages of fibrous and glandular tissue than fatty tissue. According to the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging and under the strong recommendation of all radiologists, women with dense breast tissue should undergo a screening breast ultrasound in conjunction with their mammogram as a routine part of their annual breast screening.
What is a breast ultrasound?
A breast ultrasound is a painless, radiation-free imaging exam that utilizes sound waves to produce magnified images of breast tissue. Breast lesions and abnormalities can be more difficult to detect and rule out by means of a 3D mammogram alone in women with dense breast tissue as the dense tissue can obscure small masses. On a mammogram, fatty tissue appears as dark grey/black, while dense tissue appears as a solid white area that may be difficult to see through. In conjunction with a 3D mammogram, a breast ultrasound is effective in ensuring that cancers/abnormalities that may not have been visible on a mammogram (due to dense tissue) are detected.
At Little Silver Mammography and HerSpace, our patient care team includes highly skilled Registered Diagnostic Breast Sonographers with extensive training and experience. At the time of scheduling, our schedulers remind patients with dense breast tissue to speak with their referring doctors about scheduling a screening breast ultrasound as part of their routine mammography screening.
In addition, our facility takes pride in providing women with the most stress-free breast imaging experience by performing same-day add-on studies as deemed necessary by our on-site radiologist.
