Breast imaging modalities compared

Advantages and disadvantages of current breast imaging modalities


Manual Examination	• inexpensive or no cost	• limited to palpable lumps
Manual Examination	• can be done on a regular basis without the assistance of a medical professional
X-ray Mammography	• well-known and accepted	• poor rate of detection
	• large existing installed base	• high false positive rate
	• existing reimbursement codes	• requires subjective interpretation by a skilled radiologist
	• relatively inexpensive	• exposes patient to ionizing radiation
		• requires a skilled technician
		• requires significant and often painful breast compression
		• not recommended for women under 40
		• not usable for pregnant women
		• shows only generalized size, shape and location—structure not physiology

Ultrasound	• well-known and accepted	• requires a skilled technician
	• large existing installed base	• relatively expensive
	• existing reimbursement codes	• time consuming
		• is not a practical screening tool
		• requires subjective interpretation by a skilled physician

MRI	• well-known and accepted	• high false positive rate
	• existing reimbursement codes	• expensive
		• not suitable for general screening
		• time consuming
		• exposes patient to strong electromagnetic fields
Infrared Mammography™	• has a high positive detection rate	• no existing reimbursement code
	• can detect low levels of neoplastic activity
	• extremely small false positive rate
	• does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation
	• does not required a skilled technician
	• does not require subjective interpretation by a skill radiologist
	• is not invasive
	• does not require breast compression
	• is suitable for young women and pregnant women
	• is relatively inexpensive
	• output data is already in digital format