Safety remains paramount; sonographers are encouraged to keep acoustic output As Low As Reasonably Achievable.
Achieving these diagnostic results requires meticulous technique. According to AIUM Practice Parameters, high-quality breast imaging in 2014 relied on:
Proper gain settings, depth adjustment (to see the pectoralis muscle ), and firm transducer pressure are vital to reducing artifacts and getting a "crisp" image. Why It Matters Today Sonography 2014 - Breast Ultrasound
Research highlighted in 2014 continued to emphasize ultrasound’s role as an indispensable adjunct to mammography . In women with dense breast tissue, mammography sensitivity can be as low as 30–48%, but adding high-resolution ultrasound can increase cancer detection by 3–4 additional cancers per 1,000 women . Optimization and Technology
For the first time, ultrasound BI-RADS included descriptors for elasticity , allowing sonographers to characterize the stiffness of a lesion—a key indicator of potential malignancy. Why It Matters Today Research highlighted in 2014
The update allowed for diagnosis-based descriptors, such as "post-surgical change," rather than requiring a painstaking description of every shape and margin when a cause was already known.
The Evolution of Precision: Insights from the 2014 BI-RADS Ultrasound Update The update allowed for diagnosis-based descriptors, such as
Ideally 12 MHz or higher to ensure the axial and soft tissue resolution needed to see subtle shades of gray.