The Importance Of Mammography San Diego CA

By Jaclyn Hurley


Mammography is a procedure performed by a radiological technologist to detect breast cancer. It produces a soft tissue X ray or mammogram of the breast, which allows a physician to see tumors that cannot be detected though physical examination. A mammogram also reveals the presence of any other tumor in the breast and helps healthcare providers determine if it is cancerous or not. By taking advantage of mammography San Diego CA residents can defend themselves against breast cancer because this procedure detects it in its early stages.

Research studies show that women who have breast cancer are more likely to survive if it is detected in its early stage. Cure rates of up to ninety percent have been reported in patients who have minimal tumors. Before undergoing the procedure patients should inform their physicians if they are expectant or planning to conceive. They should also avoid applying lotion, cream, body powder or deodorant on their chests on the day when the test will be performed to ensure accuracy.

Patients are asked to remove the clothes they are wearing above their waist and they are provided with a hospital gown before undergoing a mammogram. They are also asked to remove any jewelry. Wearing two piece garments on the day of the test is wise. When performing the procedure, radiologic technologists ask patients to maintain an upright position in front of an X ray machine and then place the breasts on a breast support table.

The radiographic breast supports are pressed together in order to gently flatten the breasts. This helps ensure that a clear picture of breast tissue is obtained with minimal radiation being emitted. Compressing the breasts in this manner can make a patient feel uncomfortable but this discomfort lasts only a few seconds.

Your breasts will be imaged in various positions so that a radiologist can clearly observe all the tissues. After the procedure is over, your physician will be provided with the results and he or she will let you know what they mean and whether you need to be tested further. Patients who undergo this procedure are normally sent their results by mail within thirty days.

The American Cancer Society reports that about one or two mammograms out of every one thousand lead to a diagnosis of breast cancer. About ten percent of women need to undergo additional mammograms. You should not be alarmed if this happens to you because only eight to ten percent of these women will need a biopsy and eighty percent of these biopsies do not indicate the presence of cancer.

Wellness insurance companies usually spend for screening mammograms every one or two years for women who are forty years old or older. A lot of controversy regarding the use of mammography to detect breast cancer exists. It stems from the fear that this procedure can unnecessarily expose patients to dangerous levels of radiation, which can increase their risk of getting breast cancer.

Women should not be afraid of getting a mammogram because new X ray machines do not expose patients to high radiation levels. Older machines exposed patients to as much as 10 rads of radiation. This is hazardous particularly if a patient undergoes the procedure regularly over ten or more years. Modern X ray machines expose patients to lower than 1 rad of radiation.




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