The real benefits of digital technology lie in the future. The ability to acquire, store, analyze and transmit digitized mammography information using computers and telemedicine offers enormous benefits. The introduction of full-field digital mammography is the beginning of a revolution in breast cancer screening and detection, information management and computer analysis. Hopefully, this technique will improve the sensitivity in detecting lesions in women with dense breast tissue, which is difficult to image on a standard mammogram. For most women, standard mammography is an effective tool.
Digital mammography is quick and reduces anxiety and inconvenience.
Because digital mammograms are electronically generated and can be manipulated, they may allow physicians to detect a breast cancer better. Electronic archiving of digital images allows a radiologist to compare current digital images with prior ones to discern whether subtle changes have taken place in breast tissue over time. This is critical for the early detection of breast cancers. Breast cancers that are detected earlier are much easier to treat. However, one technical constraint is that the plate used in digital mammography is smaller than the X-ray film holder used in standard film screens, so women with large breasts will need multiple images to see all of the tissue.