While mammograms are very useful, they do have their share of drawbacks. Since they rely on X-rays, they are not used on pregnant women, as the X-rays could be unhealthy for the unborn child. Some women find mammograms uncomfortable due to the positioning required to seizure images of their breasts. One prevalent concern with mammograms is that they are not always accurate. They may notice something that seems to be abnormal, but may actually not be cancer or anything serious to take note of.
Next, we take a look at breast ultrasound, also known as sonography or elastography. This process utilizes waves of sound to deliver an image of a body part and is usually done by using a device called a transducer to transmit and receive high-frequency sound waves through the mammary area. Alike to echolocation, this produces a mapping from within the body, which is then used to inspect and observe the area. It gives a clear view of soft tissue that may not be visible in an X-ray, and is very effective when viewing dense mammary tissue. Elastography is noninvasive and virtually painless.
Elastography is becoming a popular option for many women, but it is not a perfect means to detect tumors. There are some forms of cancer that it cannot discover. Another factor to consider is that it cannot offer a picture of the entire range, only able to focus on a certain area at a time.
So to return to the question posed at the outset, neither technique is truly greater to the other. As mentioned above, a mammogram can cover a much wider area of observation as it offers a much wider, open picture. And even though breast ultrasound covers a much smaller area, it is especially useful for taking a closer look at a smaller area and double-checking an anomaly that other methods were not able to fully identify. Both methods play a energetic role in breast health for women.
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