The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of contrast-enhanced mammograms as a diagnostic tool. Women who need additional imaging, beyond a routine screening mammogram, may benefit from a contrast-enhanced mammogram. This may include women with:
Contrast-enhancing mammograms are also helpful for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The contrast dye provides additional viewing access to any areas already identified as cancerous and can help assess the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment already in progress.
Contrast-enhanced mammography may provide better visual images of dense breast tissue than other forms of mammography. Dense breast tissue can make it difficult to clearly see problem areas with traditional 2D or 3D technology. The use of contrast dye helps display abnormalities that might be hidden otherwise.
Women who are claustrophobic and cannot tolerate MRI testing may be more comfortable with contrast-enhanced mammography. In addition, mammography generally takes less time to perform, and results are available faster than with MRI testing. The cost of mammography is often lower than MRI testing.
3D screening mammograms and contrast-enhanced mammograms are both used to identify breast abnormalities and diagnose cancer as early as possible. Both exams compress the breasts and take multiple X-ray images of breast tissue.
There are two main differences between the tests. First, the contrast-enhanced mammogram may last longer than the 3D mammogram because of the extra time involved in administering the contrast solution. Second, the contrast dye produces images that highlight problem areas more distinctly and may allow your doctor to view the breast tissue better to make a diagnosis.