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ULTRASOUND CLINICS Ultrasound Clin 1 (2007) xi–xii
Preface
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:
[email protected] Gary J. Whitman, MD Guest Editor
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 commonly used to evaluate mammographic 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