ALTOONA – Digital breast tomosynthesis, also known as 3D mammography, is available at UPMC Altoona.
Tomosynthesis is world class breast imaging technology, a tool that uses low-energy x-rays to create a 3D image of the breasts. UPMC Altoona is the only provider in Blair County and began offering this state-of-the-art imaging in January.
Conventional mammography takes pictures of the breast from two angles — up and down, left and right. Tomosynthesis imaging takes multiple pictures from many angles.
The x-ray tube moves in an arc around the breast, collecting multiple low-dose images from varying angles, says Lauren Deur, M.D., a board-certified, fellowship-trained diagnostic radiologist with UPMC Altoona Radiology.
Tomosynthesis may be used in conjunction with conventional mammography to provide the optimal image of a woman’s breasts.
“For digital breast tomosynthesis, the breast is positioned the same way as for a conventional 2D mammogram,” she says.
“However, with 2D mammograms we acquire a single image in each position. With tomosynthesis, views of multiple slices of the breast are captured, providing more-detailed images. The more-detailed images are particularly helpful in patients with dense breast tissue.”
These multiple views are sent to a computer where they are processed to produce the tomosynthesis images, which are viewed in conjunction with conventional 2D images. Tomosynthesis reduces the callback rates for mammography screenings, which reduces the need for further tests and biopsies.
“Mammography is not perfect, but it is still the best tool we have for breast cancer screening, and it has been shown to reduce the mortality associated with breast cancer,” Deur says. “Tomography improves upon what we were doing previously.”
