[Ultrasonic examination of the breast]

Ultrasonography can be a valuable adjunct to mammography in the evaluation of breast pathology. Breast sonography can differentiate a cyst from a tumour. Fibroadenomas and carcinomas can often present characteristic ultrasonic features but, as a rule, ultrasonography does not give a confident diagnosis of benign or malignant tumour. Ultrasound-guided needle biopsies and preoperative localization of non-palpable lesions can be performed. Breast sonography should be regarded as an adjunct to mammography. The practical role of ultrasonography in a breast-imaging centre will depend on the quality of the triple diagnostics.