DERMAL CALCIFICATIONS IN FIXED ORIENTATION - THE TATTOO SIGN

Calcifications located in the dermis of the breast may appear indistin guishable from intramammary calcifications. The authors present a sign , called the tattoo Sign, that can help radiologists identify dermal c alcifications. When mammograms are compared, calcifications that maint ain a fixed relationship to each other suggest a dermal location. This can be verified with standard techniques. Understanding the tattoo si gn may help prevent unnecessary needle localization and biopsy procedu res.