Health Check-up (H.T.C.)

The mammogram

Permits the detection of breast cancers which would not be found during manual examination.

It is important for woman over 40 years to have this test done.

Images of the inner structure of the breast are obtained. Squeezing the breasts between 2 plates for a few seconds gives an image of good quality and minimizes the amount of radiation used. The squeezing can cause some discomfort and that is why it is recommended to undergo this test between the 4^th and the 12^th day of the menstruation.

The images are read separately by 2 radiologists (double reading), and compared with previous ones.

Ultrasound of the breasts

An ultrasound of the breasts is done to obtain a complete picture of the breast tissue. It is complementary to the mammogram.

An ultrasound is not painful and takes from 5 to 10 minutes.

Despite the sensitivity of those examinations, it is not always possible to make a definitive diagnosis and the radiologist may request extra investigations (biopsy by stereotaxia, MRI).