Needle insertion and withdrawal may cause a sharp, but brief, pain, followed by some tenderness at the puncture site. On the day of the test, do not apply any powders, lotions, or perfumes to the breasts or underarms because they could create false-positive results. Depending on the number of films taken, the procedure may take 5 to 15 minutes. The patient may be asked to wait until the film is developed to be sure the pictures are readable. The breasts may be compressed against the cassette to get a clear picture.
Some women find the breast compression uncomfortable.
The level of radiation is low, but care should be exercised so that this procedure is not overused. Approximately 90 to 95 percent of malignancies can be detected with this test, but as many as 75 percent of the tests reported as positive may in fact be false positives.