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Some women may get increased radiation during mammography

Breast-Mammogram Detector Mismatch Results in Excess Radiation By: PATRICE WENDLING, Family Practice News Digital Network 8 Dec 11, CHICAGO – A mismatch between breast size and detector size during mammography resulted in significantly higher doses of radiation for women with large breasts in a study of 886 patients.

On average, women with large breasts screened on a small detector received almost 5 milligray (mGy) of radiation, which exceeds the American College of Radiology guidelines of 3-4 mGy or less for a standard two-view mammogram. When a mismatch occurs, women with large breasts receive significantly higher doses of radiation than women with small breasts or their counterparts with large breasts correctly matched to a large detector, Dr. Cathy Wells said when presenting the award-winning study at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

“Women with large breasts should be imaged with a large detector to avoid an unnecessary increase in radiation dose,” she urged….. http://www.familypracticenews.com/news/more-top-news/single-view/breast-mammogram-detector-mismatch-results-in-excess-radiation/1080647c40.html

December 9, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, women