Radiology in Arizona

Breast Imaging

The Breast Imaging Section is comprised of dedicated physicians, technologists and physicists who work together and in collaboration with referring health care specialists to deliver the highest quality of breast health care to our patients.

By meeting rigorous quality standards, our facility has been certified by the American College of Radiology and the FDA through the Mammography Quality Standards Act. The Breast Imaging Section addresses all aspects of breast care and breast health, but the primary goal of this section is to detect early, more treatable breast cancers. This is done through a variety of exams, which include:

Imaging Tests

1. Screening mammograms in patients without breast symptoms
2. Diagnostic mammograms in patients with focal, persistent breast symptoms
3. Breast ultrasounds to give supplemental information when there is a mammographic finding or to address certain focal breast symptoms
4. Breast MRI for patients whose mammograms, breast ultrasound and physical exam cannot fully evaluate a specific breast problem

Interventional Tests

1. Cyst aspirations to drain fluid from unusual or painful cysts
2. Abscess drainages to treat infected fluid collections in the breast
3. Core needle biopsies
1. Stereotactic core biopsy uses mammographic guidance to perform biopsy
2. Ultrasound-guided core biopsy
4. Ductograms involve injecting contrast material into an abnormal breast duct
5. Pre-operative localization procedures are performed when the breast abnormality is too small to find in the operating room. This can either be performed using a needle-wire combination that can be seen by the surgeon, or by placing a low-level radiation seed into the abnormality, which can then be localized with a Geiger counter in the operating room.