BREAST ULTRASOUND

Preface

Gary J. Whitman, MD
Guest Editor
Gary J. Whitman, MD
Department of Diagnostic Radiology
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
P.O. Box 301439, Unit 1350
Houston, TX 77230, USA
E-mail address:
gwhitman@di.mdacc.tmc.edu

Breast sonography is indispensable. Most breast lesions, other than small clusters of calcifications, can and may be evaluated with ultrasound. In the last decade and a half, we have witnessed tremendous
progress in breast ultrasound. The days of
using breast ultrasound solely to differentiate cysts
from solid masses are gone forever. Breast sonography
is commonlyused to evaluatemammographic
and palpable abnormalities, and ultrasound is often
used to evaluate findings initially noted on magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI). Sonography also plays
a role in screening for breast cancer and in evaluating
the extent of disease in the breast and the regional
lymph nodes.
Nearly all breast masses are sampled with
ultrasound-guided biopsy. Core biopsies, vacuumassisted
biopsies, and fine-needle aspirations are
commonly performed with sonographic guidance,
often followed by ultrasound-guided marker placement.
In addition, sonography can be used to help
guide catheters to drain abscesses or deliver
radiation therapy. In some centers, ultrasound is
guiding cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation
of breast lesions.
Breast ultrasound can be performed just about
anywhere. Although most ultrasound machines are
housed in sonography rooms, breast ultrasound
can be and has been performed in mammography
rooms, operating rooms, surgical holding areas,
emergency rooms, examination rooms, patient
hospital rooms, and intensive care units. Breast
ultrasound plays a major role in the daily management
of women with breast diseases.
In this issue of Ultrasound Clinics,we explore some
of the common uses of breast sonography. Drs. Berg
and Woel cover mammographic-sonographic correlation
in a comprehensive manner, and Dr. Dogan
and I provide an update on MRI-sonographic
correlation. Dr. Dogan, Dr. Yang, Joella Wilson,
Parul Patel, and Dr. Krishnamurthy assisted me on
an article on ultrasound-guided biopsies. Dr.
Cardenosa covers cysts, cystic lesions, and papillary
lesions with a practical approach, and Dr. Hashimoto
provides an update on sonography of ductal
carcinoma in situ. Dr. Huynh, Parul Patel, Joella
Wilson, Angelica Cantu, and Dr. Krishnamurthy
assisted me on an article on sonography of invasive
lobular carcinoma. Finally, Dr. Yang covers sonography
of unusual breast neoplasms. All of the
authors did a great job, and I thank them for taking
time away from other pursuits to work on Ultrasound
Clinics.