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Michael J. Bernstein
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For Release: April 27, 1998
Radiologists Use MRI to Evaluate Uncertain Mammograms
A Yale University study shows that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be useful in evaluating some equivocal or abnormal mammograms. Results of the study were presented April 28 at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society held in San Francisco.
"Every now and then, there is a question of whether something is really abnormal or not," said Dr. Carol Lee, lead study author and associate professor of diagnostic radiology at Yale University School of Medicine.
This procedure is useful because it can help doctors determine if a biopsy is required, Dr. Lee said. An MRI would be done only when other avenues of investigation have been exhausted, she said.
Usually a patient with a questionable abnormality on a mammogram will have extra mammographic views and possibly an ultrasound, Dr. Lee said. In most cases, these are sufficient to determine if a true abnormality exists and what should be done about it, she said. However, a few cases can't be resolved this way, and that is when MRI could be useful, Dr. Lee added.
The procedure works just like any MRI, Dr. Lee said. The patient lies on a table, and the first set of MRI scans is taken. Then a contrast agent called gadolinium is administered through an IV line. A second set of scans is taken to see if the contrast agent has accumulated anywhere in the breast. The gadolinium will accumulate in abnormal areas of the breast, Dr. Lee said. The procedure takes from 40 minutes to an hour, and is painless, according to Dr. Lee.
The American Roentgen Ray Society, with more than 12,000 members in radiology and related fields, is the United State's first radiological society. The Society is dedicated to the advancement of medicine through the science of radiology.
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