Long Island Radiology Associates

Breast MRI

What is MRI of the Breast?

MR imaging uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures. The images can then be examined on a computer monitor or printed. MRI does not use ionizing radiation (x-rays).

MRI of the breast offers valuable information about many breast conditions that cannot be obtained by other imaging modalities, such as mammography or ultrasound.

What are some common uses for MRI of the Breast?

MRI of the breast is not a replacement for mammography or ultrasound imaging but rather a supplemental tool for detecting and staging breast cancer and other breast abnormalities.

Medical studies are currently being conducted to determine whether MRI and other imaging methods can contribute to the early detection and prevention of deaths from breast cancer.

MR imaging of the breast is performed to:

  • evaluate abnormalities detected by mammography.
  • identify early breast cancer not detected through other means, especially in women with dense breast tissue and those at high risk for the disease.
  • screen for cancer in women who have implants or scar tissue that might jeopardize an accurate result from a mammogram.
  • determine the integrity of breast implants.
  • distinguish between scar tissue and recurrent tumors.
  • assess multiple tumor locations.
  • look for multiple tumors prior to breast conservation surgery.
  • determine whether cancer detected by mammography or ultrasound has spread further in the breast or into the chest wall.
  • determine how much cancer has spread beyond the surgical site after a breast biopsy or lumpectomy.
  • assess the effect of chemotherapy.
  • provide additional information on a diseased breast to make treatment decisions.

Without contrast material, an MRI of the breast can show:

  • breast tissue density.
  • cysts.
  • enlarged ducts.
  • hematomas.
  • leaking or ruptured breast implants.
By comparing breast images taken before and after contrast material injection, an MRI exam can determine:
  • if there are breast abnormalities.
  • whether an abnormality looks benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
  • the size and location of any abnormality that looks malignant.
  • the presence of enlarged lymph nodes.

How does the procedure work?

Unlike conventional x-ray examinations and computed tomography (CT) scans, MRI does not depend on radiation. Instead, radio waves are directed at protons, the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, in a strong magnetic field.

The magnetic field is produced by passing an electric current through wire coils in most MRI units. Other coils, located in the machine and in some cases, placed around the part of the body being imaged, send and receive radio waves. As you lie inside the MRI unit, radio waves are directed at the protons in the area of your body being studied. In the magnetic field, these protons change their position, producing signals that are detected by the coils.

A computer then processes the signals and generates a series of images each of which shows a thin slice of the body. The computer compiles the images into a three-dimensional representation of the body, which can be studied from many different angles on a computer monitor.

Because protons are most abundant in water molecules, MR images show differences in water content between various body tissues. As a result, MRI is especially suited to detecting disorders that increase fluid in diseased areas of the body, for example, areas affected by tumors, infection and inflammation. Overall, the differentiation of abnormal (diseased) tissue from normal tissues is significantly easier with MRI than with other imaging modalities such as x-ray, CT and ultrasound.

What are the benefits of a Breast MRI?

  • MRI is a noninvasive imaging technique that does not involve exposure to radiation.
  • MRI has proven valuable in diagnosing a broad range of conditions, including detecting and staging breast cancer, particularly when other imaging studies (mammography, ultrasound, etc.) fail to provide adequate information.
  • MRI enables the detection of abnormalities that might be obscured by bone with other imaging methods.
  • The contrast material used in MRI exams is less likely to produce an allergic reaction than the iodine-based materials used for conventional x-rays and CT scanning.
  • MRI is growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional x-ray mammography in the early diagnosis of breast cancer.
  • MRI has been shown to detect small breast lesions that are sometimes missed by mammography.
  • MRI can successfully image the dense breast common in younger women, as well as breast implants, both of which are difficult to image using traditional mammography.
  • Because MR imaging does not involve radiation, the procedure could be used to screen women younger than 40 and to increase the number of screenings per year for women at high risk for breast cancer.
  • If a suspicious lesion is seen with MRI only, MRI can provide guidance for biopsy.

 

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Women's Imaging - learn more about breast cancer screening