When is a breast ultrasound done?

• On patients at any age to investigate a breast problem e.g. lump, lumpiness, texture change, nipple discharge
• It is the first imaging test for pregnant or breast feeding women with symptoms
• When there is an area on the mammogram that needs to be looked at more closely
• To see if lumps are fluid-filled (cysts) or solid (benign/tumour)
• To see if an area of thickening is breast tissue or a tumour
• For breast implants to see the implant and overlying breast tissue
• To investigate an abnormal area seen on MRI
• To guide needle biopsy of breast lumps

Benefits of breast ultrasound imaging

• It enables radiologists to have a clearer picture of the soft tissue so they can work out what is going on in the breast more easily
• It may help detect and classify problems with the breast that are not easy to interpret using mammography alone. This is often the case in younger women who have dense breast tissue
• It is pain-free and involves no needles, no injections and no ionising radiation
• It allows real-time imaging. This helps with other diagnostic tests such as needle biopsies and fine needle aspirations
• It can distinguish potential breast tumours from harmless breast lumps – these could be fat lobules or benign (non cancerous) breast cysts.