Pacemaker interference with screening mammography

In female pacemaker recipients undergoing screening mammography, the pact o f a pulse generator placed in the pectoral region has yet to be reviewed. W e evaluated mammograms from 74 female pacemaker patients aged 40 years and older The pulse generator obscured a portion of the mammogram in 7 patients (12%). During pacemaker implantation in women, the potential for the pulse generator to interfere with screening mammography should be considered. Ba seline mammography should be obtained or reviewed; in high risk patients a nonconventional location for the pulse generator may be appropriate.