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.