Digital Mammography

 
A mammogram machine.

Advantages of Digital Mammograms

Mammography remains the gold standard for screening for early stage breast cancer. Many breast centers still use analog mammograms, meaning the images are printed on film. However, digital mammography is now available, allowing for the radiologist to capture and manipulate the images so abnormalities can be seen more easily.

For example, in women with dense fibrocystic breast tissue, their breasts appear white on a mammogram. Complicating this is that tumors are also white. But with digital mammograms, the radiologist can manipulate the contrast of the images, making them darker or lighter, allowing for the masses to be identified. The images can also be enlarged on the computer to focus on areas of concern.

At the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, when a patient comes for a diagnostic mammography to further evaluate a breast abnormality, she receives the highest quality digital imaging services available. Breast ultrasound and breast MRI are also available.

Same Day Results

To reduce your anxiety and keep you informed, our radiologists read and discuss mammogram and ultrasound results while you’re still at the imaging center. This keeps you from having to return for more imaging studies if we know right away whether additional evaluation is needed.

Approximately five to 15 percent of women having a screening mammogram will be called back for additional imaging. You probably don’t need to worry if this happens. Most of the time, findings of additional imaging are benign.