MAMMOGRAPHY AND BREAST IMPLANTS

Mammography in the presence of breast implants is complicated by the o pacity of the implants, the displacement of breast tissue by the impla nt, and the presence of secondary changes such as calcification within a fibrous capsule. A special technique of mammography, known as the d isplacement technique, has been developed by Eklund in the USA, where it is widely used. The displacement technique of X-ray mammography has been shown to provide superior results to the standard compression me thod. We conducted a telephone survey of 23 mammography units in order to assess mammographic practice in the United Kingdom for the patient with breast implants. We found a wide variation in practice. There wa s a general lack of awareness of the displacement technique and of its advantages. Only 4 mammography units in our sample (17.4 %) used the displacement technique.