LANFRANCHI – BREAST ULTRASOUND- MARBAN – 2000 2DA E

During the past ten years diagnostic ultrasound has been one of the fastest growing fields in medicine, thanks to constant advances in technology and the development of new techniques which take advantage of these advances. High definition and righ frequency ultrasound allow the visualization of non-palpable nodules. Color Doppler and Power Doppler permit the specialist to locate and study vascular signals in tumors and three dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) provides a representation o fan object in three dimensiones whicj is stored in computer memory and can be manipulated at Will. Finally, but not least importantly, ultrasound-guided diagnostic intervention makes safer and more thorough the collection of cytological and histological simples.

The combination of ultradound and mammography provides the specialist great diagnostic flexibility, as ultrasound is effecitve in cases whtre mammography is inappropriate, such as the differential diagnosis of pathologies in the radilogically dense breast, or ther situations in wich mammography proves inconclusive. This diagnostic flexibility translates to more effective medical care for the patient, especially in patientes with breast cancer, a disease which affects as many as one of every eigth women and is often fatal if nor detected early.

A well-tranied ultrasound technologist and technologist and quality equipment are the two fundamental elemtens necessary for a successful ultrasound diagnosis. This book is intended to provide concrete examples of both rare and commonly encountered breast pathologies and an outline of the techniques and technologies whicj are currently being used in the field. It is the hope of the authors and collaborators that this work Will prove to be a valuableaid for the specailsit and Will contribute to the early and reliable diagnosis of breast pathologies.