- Health services recommend regular mammograms for older women.
- Ultrasound images can be hard to read for some women.
- Dense breast tissue makes ultrasound pictures look noisy and unclear.
- Acoustic clutter can make a fluid cyst look solid.
- Doctors use a new method to check masses.
- The method compares signals to nearby signals in images.
- Doctors found masses correctly much more often with it.
- This can reduce follow-up tests and unnecessary biopsies.
- Researchers tested the method on real patients at hospital.
Difficult words
- mammogram — an X-ray picture used to check breastsmammograms
- ultrasound — sound waves that make body images
- dense — thick or close together, not thin
- acoustic clutter — extra echoes that make images look unclear
- cyst — a fluid sac in the body
- biopsy — a test that removes tissue to check diseasebiopsies
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever had an ultrasound?
- Would you get a mammogram when you are older?
- Do you think new methods can reduce extra tests?
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