Mammography Principles & Components PDF

## Principles and Component of Mammography ### 3.1 What is a breast made of? * Glandular tissue, which includes breast lobes and breast ducts. * Fibrous, or supportive or connective tissue, which is the same tissue that ligaments and scar tissue are made of. * Fatty tissue fills in the spaces bet...

## Principles and Component of Mammography ### 3.1 What is a breast made of? * Glandular tissue, which includes breast lobes and breast ducts. * Fibrous, or supportive or connective tissue, which is the same tissue that ligaments and scar tissue are made of. * Fatty tissue fills in the spaces between glandular and fibrous tissue and largely determines your breast size. ### 3.1.2 What are the physiological functions of the breast? * Female hormones - namely estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin - play a key role in breast development and function. The main role of the breasts is to produce human milk. * **Estrogen** stretches milk ducts and helps them create side branches to carry more milk. * **Prolactin** promotes the production of progesterone and prepares glands for milk production. * **Progesterone** increases the number and size of lobules in preparation for breastfeeding. This hormone also enlarges blood vessels and breast cells after ovulation. * **Oxytocin** helps release (or eject) breast milk. ### 3.1.3 What are breast lobes and breast ducts? * Embedded in the breast's fatty and fibrous tissue are 15 to 20 glands called lobes, each of which has many smaller lobules, or sacs, that produce milk. Lobules are arranged in clusters, like bunches of grapes. * Ducts are thin tubes that carry milk to the nipple. The nipple is located in the middle of the areola, which is the darker area surrounding the nipple. Breast cancers can form in the ducts and the lobes. ### 3.1.4 What are lymph nodes? * Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection and are found throughout the body. They produce and filter a colorless fluid called lymph, which contains white blood cells known as lymphocytes (immune cells involved in defending against infections and such diseases as cancer). ### 3.1.6 What are dense breasts? * It is very common for people to be told that they have dense breasts after a mammogram. Dense breasts are completely normal and tend to be more common in younger people and in people with smaller breasts. But anyone - regardless of age or breast size — can have dense breasts. * A doctor will tell you that your breasts are dense if most of the tissue seen on your mammogram is fibrous or glandular breast tissue. These tissue types appear thicker and denser than fatty tissue and will show up white on a mammogram. Because cancer cells also appear white on the image, it may be harder for radiologists to see disease in people with dense breasts. So that's why some people with dense breasts may be asked to have extra imaging tests, such as ultrasound or MRI, which can pick up some cancers that may be missed on a mammogram. ## 2.5.5 Risk v. Benefit * Mortality risk from mammography-induced radiation is 5 deaths/ 1 million patients using screen film mammography. It is more risky to refuse mammography than to allow it. * Breast Cancer Screening American Cancer Society and American College of Radiology suggest that all women over 50 years should undergo annual mammography. Women between 40 and 49 should have one every or every other year. A baseline mammogram should be done at the onset of menopause. ### Risk Factors- Age- Incidence increases with age * **Hormonal History:** More sensitive to carcinogens during menarche. * **Family History:** Women with positive family members are more prone to breast cancer * **Tissue Variations:** Breasts are glandular and connective tissues. Ability to demonstrate depends upon the amount of fat within and around the breast lobules. Post puberty breasts contain primarily dense connective tissue. During pregnancy, breasts undergo hypertrophy. With age, fat begins to accumulate. After menopause, glandular tissue begins to atrophy. * **Mammography KVp** is low - 25 – 28. AEC (AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE CONTROL) is used. * The equipment is a C-arm. SID is fixed at 24 – 26 inches. Anode material is molybdenum, with rhodium target. Grid ratio is low – 4:1, or 5:1, with a frequency of 200 lines/inch. ### 2.5.2 Rationale for Mammography * Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women. Breast cancer is quite curable, if detected early enough. Mammography is one of the most important innovations in the fight against breast cancer.