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Biomagnetic activity in the female breast at various physiological states
E Sivridis1, P Anninos, A Giatromanolaki
1Department of Pathology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
Purpose:
To investigate the biomagnetic activity produced physiologically by the various normally occurring states of the female breast: puberty, reproductive age, pregnancy, lactation and menopause.
Method:
The mammary glands of 90 healthy women were examined using a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID).
Results:
Biomagnetic activity was low at puberty (105.46+/-3.77 fT/square root(Hz)) and the menopause (111.66+/-25.06 fT/square root(Hz)), but was high during the reproductive years (142.13+/-20.70 fT/square root(Hz)), particularly in the hyperplastic states of late pregnancy (221.86+/-12.14 fT/square root(Hz)) and lactation (252.73+/-54.77 fT/square root(Hz)). The results were statistically significant (p<0.0001 ANOVA test).
Conclusion:
Our observations indicate the importance of SQUID in understanding the biomagnetic activity of the female breast at the various physiological states of life.
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