Advances in breast imaging

Many exciting developments are occurring in breast imaging. Some, such as digital mammography, have the potential to change the field radically, while others will have effects that are more subtle but are equally important. Digital mammography holds the promise of telemammography and computer-aided diagnosis. Mammoscintigraphy may be helpful in identifying drug-resistant tumors before therapy. There is renewed interest in evaluating ultrasound as a potential adjunctive screening tool in women with radiographically dense breasts. Finally, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may be used more extensively in monitoring tumor response to primary chemotherapy and in the preoperative assessment of patients being considered for breast conservation therapy.