Improved mammographic accuracy

Use of ancillary imaging studies to evaluate suspicious screening mammograms can improve their positive predictive value for detecting malignant lesions. In 1989 8181 screening mammograms were performed at the breast evaluation center at Memorial Hospital Medical Center in Long Beach. A total of 670 patients were called back for magnification views or ultrasonographic evaluation, and 92 of these patients underwent surgical biopsy. There were 42 cancers diagnosed, yielding an accuracy rate of 46%.