Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS)
Merit Health Woman's Hospital offers an FDA-approved automated breast ultrasound system (ABUS) for breast cancer screening as an adjunct to mammography for women with dense breast tissue.
Dense breast tissue has been found to be a common risk factor for the development of cancer and can also make cancer more difficult to detect using mammography, according to multiple large studies. As breast density goes up, the accuracy of mammograms often goes down. The difficulty radiologists experience when reading mammograms is that both dense tissue and cancer appear white on a mammogram. With ABUS, suspicious masses appear black against the white dense tissue.
A breast ultrasound is often used to further evaluate an abnormality found during a mammogram. Ultrasound allows doctors to see the area closest to the chest wall, which can be difficult to see using mammography. This technology also helps doctors determine whether a breast lump is filled with fluid (a cyst) or is a solid mass.
For more information on ABUS, please call (601) 936-6426.