Digital Mammography
Both traditional film mammograms and digital mammograms use x-rays to capture images of the breasts. (And yes, your breasts still have to be compressed for a digital mammogram— there’s no escaping that part of the procedure.) The difference is how those images are recorded and stored.
A traditional mammogram displays images on a large piece of film. A radiologist studies the film for any suspicious-looking areas in the breasts.
A digital mammogram, on the other hand, converts x-rays into electrical signals that are sent to a computer. The images produced can be enhanced, magnified or manipulated on a computer screen, which can help the radiologist see specific areas of the breasts more clearly. The images also can be stored electronically and transmitted from one location to another, allowing breast specialists in different locations to study them.
Both digital and film mammograms can often detect breast cancer at an early stage. However, according to the National Cancer Institute, digital mammography is better than film mammography at finding cancers in women with dense breasts; women younger than 50, regardless of breast density; and women who had their last menstrual periods within 12 months of their mammograms.”
Computer-Aided Detection (CAD)
In essence, the CAD technology works like a "spell-checker." The computer marks abnormalities on the digitized films similar to the way a computer program might alert a writer to a misspelled word. After reviewing the computer’s marking, the radiologist can decide whether the marked area is indeed an abnormality that needs follow-up or if the computer has alerted him or her to a normal area, such as a blood vessel, that is no cause for concern. The final interpretation is still made by the radiologist.
Click here to go back to the Women's Health Center main page.