Definition: an X-ray image of a breast.
Most of the time, a mammogram will show only normal healthy breast tissue. But if breast cancer is present, having a mammogram is one of the best ways to detect it early enough for effective treatment. Since the breast is composed of soft tissue, special X-ray machines and techniques have been developed exclusively for making X-ray images of the breast, and certain radiologists specialize in reading mammograms.
Most of the time, a mammogram will show only normal healthy breast tissue. But if breast cancer is present, having a mammogram is one of the best ways to detect it early enough for effective treatment. Since the breast is composed of soft tissue, special X-ray machines and techniques have been developed exclusively for making X-ray images of the breast, and certain radiologists specialize in reading mammograms.
Pronunciation: MAM-oh-gram
Also Known As: breast X-ray
Common Misspellings: mamugram, mammagram
Examples:
If a mammogram shows only normal tissue, your doctor can compare it with a later mammogram to see if anything has changed. A baseline mammogram is the earliest record of a breast X-ray that your doctor has to refer to, when checking for changes with your breast. A diagnostic mammogram will use magnification or more power to produce greater detail of specific areas of the breast that your doctor may need to see clearly.An ultrasound is used to check on specific areas in your breast.
