Ultrasound Micro-classroom: Breast Ultrasound Examination, What Should You Know?

In recent years, the incidence of female breast diseases has gradually increased, and breast cancer has gradually become the number one killer threatening women's health. Faced with this situation, early detection and prevention of breast diseases has become crucial. In breast examinations, ultrasound examinations have the advantages of no radiation, no trauma, and simple operation, and are widely used. With the continuous development of technology, in addition to traditional B-ultrasound examinations, diversified breast diagnostic methods such as interventional ultrasound and ultrasound angiography have been introduced to improve the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis. These advances not only help to detect breast diseases early, but also provide more comprehensive and accurate health care services for women's health.

Breast ultrasound is a non-invasive imaging method that is commonly used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of breast diseases. Ultrasound can clearly observe the internal structure of breast tissue and help doctors detect abnormalities such as breast cysts, breast hyperplasia, breast nodules, and breast lumps.

Breast ultrasound is often used in the following situations:

1. Breast lumps: For lumps found in breast tissue, ultrasound examination can help doctors evaluate their nature, whether they are benign or malignant.

2. Breast pain: For patients with breast pain, ultrasound examination can help understand the possible causes.

3. Breast hyperplasia: Ultrasound examination can help identify the nature of breast hyperplasia lesions.

4. Mammary duct ectasia: Ultrasound examination can provide more information for mammary duct ectasia or other duct abnormalities.

Breast ultrasound is usually simple, quick, and painless. It is suitable for certain groups such as pregnant women and young women. Sometimes it is combined with other examination methods such as mammography (mammography) or breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to obtain a more comprehensive evaluation.

Advantages of breast ultrasound :

Simple and fast: easy to operate and quick to check;

Painless and non-invasive: no radiation, no harm to patients;

Easy to repeat: can be performed repeatedly to monitor the efficacy;

Wide range of applications: suitable for different groups of people, such as pregnant women, young women, etc.

Non-invasive: No puncture or injection of contrast medium is required.

Disadvantages of breast ultrasound examination:

Difficulty in detecting calcification foci: Ultrasound is highly sensitive to calcification foci within low-echoic masses. However, in cases where no mass is present or the mass image is unclear, especially tiny calcification foci and burr-like changes, X-rays are more advantageous in detecting these tiny calcification foci and burr-like changes.

Challenges in diagnosing solid masses: Solid masses, whether benign or malignant, usually present as low echoes. Masses smaller than 10 mm lack specificity on sonograms, and blood flow signals are not obvious, which makes it difficult to diagnose the benign or malignant nature of small masses using ultrasound. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate low echoes in glandular fat or subcutaneous fat from lesions.

Difficulty in showing parasternal lymph node metastasis: Due to the obstruction of the sternum and ribs, it is difficult to show parasternal lymph node metastasis by ultrasound.

Breast structure and disease detection: The unevenness of breast tissue and the large area of ​​examination make it easier to miss minor diseases. Therefore, doctors should be very careful when conducting examinations and pay attention to the patient's complaints and clinical palpation to reduce the occurrence of missed diagnoses.

The influence of ultrasound equipment and operation skills: The selection of ultrasound equipment and probe is crucial to image quality and lesion display. In addition, the doctor's knowledge of breast diseases, operation skills, and thinking and analytical ability also have an important impact on the accuracy of diagnosis.

When performing a breast ultrasound examination, you should pay attention to the following:

No special preparation is required for normal breast screening, and breast screening can be performed at any time;

Before performing a breast examination, care should be taken to keep the ducts open and filled, and avoid squeezing the ducts to ensure effective examination of the cause of the discharge;

If you suspect you have breast hyperplasia, it is recommended that you have another checkup one week after your period ends.

Avoid using substances that may interfere with ultrasound examination, such as cosmetics, before the examination;

Follow your doctor's preparation instructions to get accurate test results.

The results of breast ultrasound examination should be interpreted in combination with clinical data, focusing on the following points:

Structure: Observe whether the breast structure is uniform and whether there are any abnormal areas.

Morphology: Evaluate the morphological characteristics of masses and nodules.

Blood flow signal: observe the blood flow in abnormal areas.

Diagnosis: A preliminary diagnosis is made based on the ultrasound findings and can be confirmed in combination with other examinations if necessary.

After reading this article, I hope you have a deeper understanding of breast ultrasound examination. As an important breast imaging examination method, breast ultrasound examination is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of breast diseases. I hope everyone can pay more attention to breast health in daily life, conduct timely examinations, maintain good living habits, pay attention to breast health, and improve health awareness. The views in this article only represent personal opinions. If you have any questions, it is recommended to consult a professional doctor. (Huang Min, Lingshou County People's Hospital, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province)