Compression Yields Good Images, Saves Lives

Mon., Sept. 30, 1996

It’s not a normal day at a breast center if you don’t get at least three or four patients complaining about compression.

Our first step as a clinical mammographer is to assure the patient that we do not intend to cause pain.

Mammograms are not meant to be painful. If it is an unpleasant experience for that woman, chances are she will never come back.

Everyone has a different level threshold for pain. That’s why we cannot promise a painless procedure. What is painful for one patient might not necessarily be the same for the next patient.

Patient education is our best tool for trying to make a mammogram a tolerable procedure.

Keep in mind that mammography technology is forever changing. We see more on films today than ever before. Positioning the patient has become an art.

Even though it seems more uncomfortable for the patient, we are demonstrating in some cases 1-1/2 centimeters more tissue. It is important to remember that a radiologist can only diagnose what is seen on the film.

So next time have your mammogram keep in mind these important points about compression.

It eliminates the overlapping of tissue, so nothing can hide.

Requires less radiation, making the breast tissue more uniform.

While having your next mammogram, before you complain about the pain, remember the advantages of compression.

It just may save your life!

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