Breast MRI
Breast MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a type of imaging study that uses a large magnet, radio waves and a computer to produce detailed images of breast tissue. Unlike a mammogram, a breast MRI is not an X-ray and therefore, contains no radiation.
About Breast MRI
Breast MRI may be used in conjunction with mammogram (and not instead of) in these circumstances:
- To screen people who are at high risk for developing breast cancer because they have a strong family history, carry genes that increase their risk and/or because they have dense breast tissue.
- To evaluate the extent of cancer in people with a new breast cancer diagnosis.
- To evaluate silicone breast implants for possible ruptures.
Breast MRI is important because it may detect cancers in some people that mammogram or breast ultrasound may miss (such as in people with dense breasts).
A breast MRI may or may not require an injection of contrast dye, depending on the purpose of the breast MRI. This helps the breast radiologist see normal and abnormal structures in the breast more clearly.
