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Sunday, March 9, 2014

The Importance Of Mammography San Diego CA

By Jaclyn Hurley


The mammography procedure uses X rays to detect breast tumors. It is performed by radiologist technologists and it produces a mammogram of the breasts. It allows doctors to view tumors that physical examination cannot detect. Mammograms also reveal the presence of non cancerous tumors in the breasts. By visiting a healthcare institution or clinic that offers mammography San Diego CA inhabitants can find out if they have breast cancer and get treated early.

According to research, mammography increases the survival chances of people who have breast cancer. For minimal tumors, cure rates of up to ninety five percent have been reported. To prepare for a mammogram, you should inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. You should not apply body powder, deodorant, cream or lotion on your chest on the day of the test because they may interfere with the X rays.

Before you undergo the procedure, the radiographical technologist will ask you to remove everything you are wearing above your waist and put on a hospital gown. You can go for the test wearing a two piece garment. You will also be asked to remove any jewelry before undergoing the procedure and stand in front of an X ray machine with your breasts held on a breast support table.

The mammography technologist will then press the two radiographic breast supports together to flatten your breast gently. Compressing the breasts helps ensure that the clearest possible picture is obtained with the least amount of radiation. This pressure may cause you to feel slight discomfort but it will last for a few seconds only as the technician takes the x ray.

Your breasts will be imaged in various positions so that a radiologist can clearly observe all the tissues. After the procedure is over, your physician will be provided with the results and he or she will let you know what they mean and whether you need to be tested further. Patients who undergo this procedure are normally sent their results by mail within thirty days.

According to research completed by the American Cancer Society, about one or two patients out the one thousand patients who get mammograms are found to have breast cancer. On average, ten percent of these patients are asked to get further tests. Only eight to ten percent of women who have gotten a mammogram are asked to get a biopsy and only twenty percent of biopsies show the presence of cancerous cells in breasts.

Wellness insurance companies usually spend for screening mammograms every one or two years for women who are forty years old or older. A lot of controversy regarding the use of mammography to detect breast cancer exists. It stems from the fear that this procedure can unnecessarily expose patients to dangerous levels of radiation, which can increase their risk of getting breast cancer.

Women should not be afraid of getting a mammogram because new X ray machines do not expose patients to high radiation levels. Older machines exposed patients to as much as 10 rads of radiation. This is hazardous particularly if a patient undergoes the procedure regularly over ten or more years. Modern X ray machines expose patients to lower than 1 rad of radiation.




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