Value of mammography and ultrasound in the diagnosis of breast cancer

The assessment of the value of mammography and ultrasound studies of the breast was the aim of this work. Mammography has consistently demonstrated its value as a good screening method, but also in the differentiation between several diagnoses. The sensitivity of the mammography is high with 85 % to 90 %. The specificity should be considered critically and cant be used in every case. But the use of additional methods of the mammography sometimes arrives more information. Therefore the mammography is the basic method for detection of early clinically occult cancer. Advantages of ultrasound are the better differentiation of cysts from solid lesions and the dissolution of dense breast masses in the mammography. However the mammary ultrasonography has more limitations than mammography. Some different kinds and materials for improving ultrasound are high resolution or colour Doppler ultrasound and the using of ultrasound contrast agent. At present mammasonography seems to be the most important additional method behind mammography.