Technologist Assessment of Abnormalities in Mammography

Abstract

Clinical images must meet the needs of the radiologist in order to serve the patient well. Learning to fully appreciate and assess the range of potentially pathological concerns is an important part of the role of the mammographer within the breast imaging team: being sure of a complete study that serves the purpose for the radiologist goes beyond pure technical appreciation. It now requires some clinical knowledge in order to ensure the area of concern is appropriately imaged, clearly seen and readily characterized by the radiologist. The technologist's role in ensuring appropriate imaging to clarify the extent of potential disease becomes an integral part of the criteria for excellence. Application of our basic analytical skills to our patient history and clinical images should now be an expectation of the mammographic technologist. Assessing and demonstrating clearly an area of concern on our images is a long way from diagnosing disease. What is missed or obscured on our clinical images is not analyzed by the radiologist. Therefore it is essential that we recognize a possible concern and know how to demonstrate it clearly. To recognize what is potentially a concern, it helps to know a little about where and how pathology within the breast develops. There are three basic areas of concern when checking our images, clinical assessment, calcifications and masses. The mammographer within today's modern team oriented department must have the advanced positioning and clinical skills to ensure the area of concern is appropriately imaged, clearly seen and able to be characterized by the radiologist. To properly assess and demonstrate potential problems for our medical partner, the radiologist, we must understand well the three areas of clinical and pathological change that exposes early breast cancer.