What a compression mammogram with implants involves
Implants can block part of the breast tissue on a compression mammogram, so technologists usually take extra views, gently pushing the implant back against the chest and compressing the tissue in front of it.
What breast CT does differently
On our breast CT scanner, you lie face-down and the breast rests through an opening in the table. Nothing presses on the breast or the implant. The whole breast, implant included, is imaged in one 3D scan, and our radiologists can also look at the implant itself.
Before you book
If your surgeon recommends MRI or ultrasound to check silicone implants for silent rupture, keep following that schedule.
Sources
- Breast CT FDA labeling (PMA P130025).
- Siddall, Zhang and O'Connell, "Emerging clinical applications for cone-beam breast CT," Current Breast Cancer Reports, 2024.