The Risks, Limitations and Benefits of Ultrasound Testing

Compared to other diagnostic machines, ultrasound machines are much safer for patients, and recent advances in ultrasound technology have allowed the applications for this test to expand beyond its traditional use in obstetrics.

While the benefits of ultrasound scanning far exceed the risks, no diagnostic tool is without some inherent limitations.

Here is a summary of ultrasound’s benefits:

* As an imaging technique, ultrasound is a widely available, less expensive and easy to use.
* Most ultrasound scans are non-invasive, requiring no needles or injections, and they test is usually painless.
* Ultrasound machines use no ionizing radiation.
* The ultrasound scan provides a clear picture of soft tissues that often are not visible on x-ray images. It can even help detect lesions in dense breasts.
* Because it provides imaging in real-time, ultrasound is great tool for minimally invasive needle biopsies or needle aspiration.

The limitations of ultrasound machines include:

* There are still many cancers not visible on ultrasound machines.
* Calcifications that are visible using mammography are not always seen on ultrasound scans.
* The procedure may not always be covered by insurance plans, and some facilities don’t offer ultrasound screening.

For breast cancer screenings, it is important to choose a facility where the radiologists specialize in this type of screening. The quality of ultrasound diagnostics is dependent upon the abnormality being recognized in “real time”. This requires a certain level of experience and up-to-date ultrasound equipment. The best facilities are accredited by ACR.

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