Why Do You Need Breast Ultrasound and Breast MRI?

Cancer is an ailment that can strike fear even in the strongest heart. Breast cancer especially has severe connotations for women because it can hamper their very femininity. Often the entire breast has to be removed surgically in order to get rid of the cancer which is then followed by intense treatments like chemotherapy.
On one hand there is the emotional and mental pain of losing a feminine identification and on the other hand there is the physical pain associated with chemotherapy. However, if the breast cancer is detected in an early stage the physical, emotional and mental trauma is less severe.

This is the reason that as a woman you should be especially conscious about the health of your breasts and get screenings like breast ultrasound and breast MRI done regularly. Usually the first screening that is advised by medical professionals is breast mammography. Ultrasound and MRI are secondary screenings which are used to validate the results of the mammogram. These screenings will usually convey without doubt the presence or absence of breast cancer. As a result if you get breast screenings done with these methods regularly then there are more chances of detecting breast cancer at an early stage and treating it effectively.

What is MRI?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a non invasive technique which makes use of very strong magnets and pulses of radio waves which manipulate the naturally present magnetic properties of the body. An MRI studies the structure and blood flow, cancerous tumors usually have abnormal or increased blood flow.

What is breast ultrasound?

In a breast ultrasound, sound waves which cannot be heard by humans are used. There is no ionizing radiation involved and the screening procedure can be manual, semi automatic or completely automatic. The sound waves produce images which depict the internal tissue structure of the breast and hence any abnormalities in this structure can be easily distinguished.