The digital revolution sweeps on, giving us clearer pictures and sound through an ever- growing number of products. Now it s showing up in the field of mammography. The FDA approved the first commercial digital mammography techniques a year or so ago. They show promise of much sharper pictures of tiny tumors just beginning to grow in breast tissue. These micro calcifications and other early signs of cancer can be hard to detect with standard x-rays.
Breast tissue is so soft that takes a very experience eye to notice anything amiss.
Digital imaging is an improvement, though not a huge step forward just yet. Dr. Cheryl Herman is an instructor of breast imaging at Johns Hopkins. When you interview a bunch of radiologists they will say that yes, they see the lesion very well on digital. Most likely not. And so what we re trying to do is get to a point where we can see things on digital that we do not see on standard.