Currently, breast disease has become a common and frequently occurring disease among women, seriously threatening their physical and mental health. With the improvement of modern living standards, modern women are more aware of caring for themselves and breast health. Breast ultrasound has become the preferred method for breast disease and breast screening in recent years.
Breast ultrasound examination is a non-invasive, reproducible, and radiation free examination that can clearly display the location of lesions based on the anatomical hierarchy and structural tissue of the breast. It plays an indispensable role in clinical diagnosis. Breast ultrasound examination can detect whether there are lesions in the breast, whether the lesions are diffuse or localized, the location, number, size, shape, boundary, internal and edge echoes, posterior echoes, the presence and characteristics of calcified lesions, internal blood flow status and frequency spectrum characteristics, whether there is infiltration of surrounding tissues, lymph node and distant organ metastasis, and whether the breast ducts are dilated. Ultrasound guided puncture cytology or histological examination, puncture drainage of breast cysts or abscesses, microwave therapy for benign breast masses.
Generally speaking, if the following problems occur, it is recommended to go to the hospital for breast ultrasound examination in a timely manner:
1. If there is obvious discomfort in the breast: If there is swelling, stabbing pain, swelling pain, etc. in the breast area, it is necessary to go to the hospital for professional ultrasound examination in a timely manner to prevent breast hyperplasia and some nodule problems.
2. Women with a history of breast disease: They have had breast disease before, which may lead to secondary recurrence or other abnormal conditions. It is recommended to undergo regular check ups. For some patients with breast cysts, it is best to have a check-up every six months and compare it with the previous check-up. After undergoing certain breast surgeries, it is recommended to have regular check ups on time. For example, after breast fibroadenoma surgery, it is recommended to have a check every three to six months to see if there is any recurrence.
3. Routine physical examination: If you are over 20 years old, you can add breast examination to the examination content. If you are over 30 years old, it is recommended to undergo breast ultrasound examination at least once a year to regularly confirm your breast health status.
What diseases and issues can be detected in the body through breast ultrasound examination?
1. Preliminary diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions: When routine ultrasound finds it difficult to grade nodules according to BIRADS, or when palpation and other imaging examinations reveal abnormalities that are difficult to preliminarily evaluate by routine ultrasound, cases can be further diagnosed through contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography techniques to improve accuracy.
2. Diagnosis of small lesions: When the lesion is small and difficult to distinguish with conventional ultrasound and other tests, breast contrast-enhanced ultrasound can also help diagnose small lesions.
3. Differentiation between cystic and solid masses: cystic masses with poor sound transmission can be distinguished from solid masses by color Doppler blood flow when it is necessary to distinguish them, such as breast cancer recurrence and scar after surgery.
4. Guiding breast tumor biopsy: Conventional ultrasound sometimes makes it difficult to distinguish between the solid and necrotic tissue parts of the tumor, while contrast-enhanced ultrasound can better guide clinical doctors to perform biopsy on the solid part.
Here is a reminder to everyone that it is best to undergo regular breast ultrasound examinations. Early diagnosis and early treatment are directly related to the prognosis of breast diseases, especially breast cancer patients. Early detection is the key to improve the survival rate of breast cancer and reduce mortality. Women with a history of breast cancer in their first degree relatives have a 2-3 times higher risk than the general population.
Before conducting breast ultrasound examination, there is generally no need for special preparation. Patients should be in a supine position with both arms outstretched, fully exposing the breast and armpits. In order to avoid missing lesions, the scanning area should be large enough, and each scanning section should have intersections. It is best not to perform breast ductal imaging and biopsy before examination, as contrast agents and bleeding can interfere with the accuracy of ultrasound diagnosis. Women with breast lobular hyperplasia should avoid menstrual check ups as much as possible, and it is better to check after one week of menstruation. Women with nipple discharge should not squeeze the breast before examination, as a filled catheter can more accurately detect the cause of nipple discharge.