Mammography and breast implants

Mammography in the presence of breast implants is complicated by the opacity of the implants, the displacement of breast tissue by the implant, and the presence of secondary changes such as calcification within a fibrous capsule. A special technique of mammography, known as the displacement technique, has been developed by Eklund in the USA, where it is widely used. The displacement technique of X-ray mammography has been shown to provide superior results to the standard compression method. We conducted a telephone survey of 23 mammography units in order to assess mammographic practice in the United Kingdom for the patient with breast implants. We found a wide variation in practice. There was a general lack of awareness of the displacement technique and of its advantages. Only 4 mammography units in our sample (17.4 %) used the displacement technique.