Infrared light scanning of the breast

Transillumination and Infrared Light Scanning (I.L.S.) of the breast were evaluated in a high referral breast clinic over a 15-month period. Seven hundred (700) patients were examined and blindly transilluminated; 101 were biopsied, all had mammography. The study was conducted in two phases: Phase I evaluated transillumination without I.L.S. This included 22 biopsied patients out of 101, with eight carcinomas identified histologically, demonstrating 87 per cent sensitivity and 64 per cent specificity for transillumination, versus 87 per cent and 71 per cent for mammography, and 87 per cent and 57 per cent for examination. Phase II evaluated simple transillumination combined with I.L.S. This included 79 biopsied patients out of 101 with 26 carcinomas identified histologically, demonstrating 96 per cent sensitivity and 74 per cent specificity for transillumination combined with I.L.S. compared to 85 per cent and 72 per cent for mammography and 81 per cent and 73 per cent for examination. Of the 26 Phase II carcinomas identified, two were not felt by examination, and two were neither felt nor read correctly by mammography. I.L.S. of the breast has proven effective in the hands of trained personnel and should be used with routine breast examination or mammography to increase yield of breast pathology.