3D Mammography Is More Effective For Breast Cancer Screening Than Normal Mammography

3D mammography, or breast tomosynthesis, is a relatively new breast imaging procedure approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2011. Like traditional mammography, 3D mammography uses X-rays to produce images of breast tissue in order to detect lumps, tumors or other abnormalities. 3D mammography is capable of producing more detailed images of breast tissue. Traditional mammography produces just two images of each breast, a side-to-side view and a top-to-bottom view.

3D mammography produces many X-ray images of the breasts from multiple angles to create a digital 3-dimensional rendering of internal breast tissue. This allows radiologists to view the breast in 1-millimeter ‘slices’ rather than just the full thickness from the top and from the side. 3D captures multiple slices of the breast, all at different angles. The images are brought together to create a crystal clear 3D…