Thanyarak Foundation

An ultrasound is a medical imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the inside of the breasts. When the sound wave bounces off breast tissues deeper under the skin and is reflected by different tissues, the reflected sound waves are then picked up by the transducer and made into a picture on a computer screen. This technique allows the doctor to distinguish between cysts and solid tumors, and determine the characteristics of benign and malignant tumors. In addition, ultrasound can also be used to guide needle biopsies, which will remove tissue samples for further examination.

The breast ultrasound alone is not a substitute for mammography in detecting early-stage breast cancer as the ultrasound is less efficient in finding small calcifications caused by cancers or other diseases. Given this limitation, it is recommended to use it with mammography for accurate diagnosis. When combined with breast ultrasound, mammography can improve the overall sensitivity and accuracy of cancer detection. The reason for this is that Thai women have denser breast tissue than Western women. Mammography alone may be unable to see all abnormalities. As a result, combining the two modalities is recommends

Typically, mammography alone has a sensitivity of around 85% for detecting breast cancer. This increases to 95% when ultrasound is added. Currently, ultrasound is not recommended as a replacement for mammography in breast cancer screening, as it cannot detect small microcalcifications.

Ultrasound is used after mammography to differentiate cysts from solid tumors and to examine women with dense breasts such as young women, breastfeeding women, or those with breast interventions. At Thanyalak Breast Center, our radiologist specializes in performing the ultrasound examinations.