(Ivanhoe Newswire) – A new breast imaging technique could significantly reduce the number of women who have to go back for more tests after a routine screening mammography.

A new report from Emory University shows stereoscopic digital mammography reduced false-positive findings by 49 percent compared to standard digital mammography and reduced missed lesions by 40 percent.

1,093 patients at increased risk for breast cancer have enrolled in the trial as of July, 2007. Each had a standard digital mammography screening and a stereoscopic digital exam which were read by different radiologists.

Results show a total of 259 suspicious findings were detected by the two screenings and were referred for more diagnostic testing. Of those, 109 were true lesions. Standard mammography missed 40 of the 109 lesions; the stereo mammography missed 24.

And of the 259 findings, 150 were false positives – 103 from standard mammography; 53 from the stereoscopic exam.
 

“Standard mammography is one of the most difficult radiographic exams to interpret,” David J. Getty, Ph.D., a scientist at BBN Technologies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, was quoted as saying. “In a two-dimensional image of the breast, subtle lesions may be masked by underlying or overlying normal tissue and thus be missed, and normal tissue scattered at different depths can align to mimic a lesion, leading to false-positive detections.”

Getty has been working on the development of stereo mammography. The technique consists of two digital x-ray images of the breast from two different point of view separated by about eight degrees. When radiologists view the images on a stereo display workstation, they can see the internal structure of the breast in three dimensions.

Researchers say offering stereo mammography across the country would just take simple upgrades to existing digital mammography equipment and software.

SOURCE: Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, Illinois, Nov. 25-30, 2007