Digital mammography
is a simple procedure that generates an X-ray of a woman's breast. This digital process differs from standard mammography in that it doesn't produce the X-ray images on actual film, but rather captures them to a computer monitor.
Purpose
Digital mammography is utilized to detect breast cancer in women. By finding breast cancer early, doctors will have a better chance of removing it before it spreads.
Benefits
The recent development of digital mammography has allowed doctors to have near instant results instead of having to wait days or weeks for X-rays to develop. With this digital technology, doctors can see X-ray images less than a minute after the actual scan, allowing them to quickly take action if necessary. Also, because these images are digital, they can be manipulated to give the doctors a better view of the X-ray, allowing them to possibly detect things they may not have otherwise noticed. This also makes it easier to keep medical records and examine patient histories to look for patterns that may emerge.
Cost
Compared to traditional film mammography systems, these new digital systems can cost up to three or four times as much. However, the fact that the digital systems are much quicker and more convenient increases their appeal, regardless of the price.
Downsides
The fact that these systems cost much more than traditional mammography systems is the largest disadvantage of digital mammography. Also, more than 10,000 health centers across the country use traditional mammogram machines, making it harder to compare digital X-rays with old ones. Replacing all of these old systems with new ones could take a very long time.
Digital vs. Standard
As far as the effectiveness of actually detecting breast cancer, studies have shown that digital mammography doesn't have a clear advantage of standard mammography. The only real advantage that has been established is the fact that digital mammography provides lower doses of radiation.
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