Diaphanography in various breast disorders. Clinical and experimental observations

Diaphanograms of various breast disorders were obtained and investigations were made concerning the ways in which changes in skin temperature, fine needle aspiration biopsy and surgery as well as anti-oestrogen treatment affect the findings. A lowering of the skin temperature made it impossible to detect some of the vessels in the breast and more difficult to interpret the diaphanograms. Cooling of the breast should therefore be avoided in diaphanography. Mastitis, haemorrhage after fine needle aspiration biopsy or an induced haemorrhagic cyst will result in the appearance of a shadow on the diaphanogram suggestive of malignancy. The shadow of a haemorrhagic cyst disappeared immediately after the cyst was emptied and diminished gradually in the other cases. Thus the nature of the breast disorder may be determined by diaphanography if it is repeated at short intervals. Fine needle aspiration biopsy may yield false positive findings and should therefore not be made until diaphanography has been performed.