At their Hill Breast Center facility, The Hill Medical Corporation performs breast ultrasounds as a part of our multimodality approach to breast care. Ultrasound, also known as sonography, is an imaging method in which high-frequency sound waves are used to outline a part of the body. High-frequency sound waves above the level of hearing are transmitted through the area of the body being studied. The sound wave echoes are picked up and translated by a computer into an image that is displayed on a computer screen. No radiation exposure occurs during this test.

Some studies have suggested that ultrasound be considered in screening women with dense breast tissue (which is difficult to evaluate by routine mammography). But, use of screening ultrasound instead of mammography is not recommended because small calcium deposits, which may be the earliest signs of cancer, are not visible by ultrasound. For this reason, when ultrasound screening is performed it should be done in addition to mammography. Breast ultrasound is useful for evaluation of some breast masses and is the only way to tell if a cyst is present without placing a needle into it to aspirate fluid. Cysts cannot be accurately diagnosed on physical examination alone. Breast ultrasound may also be used to help doctors precisely guide a biopsy needle into some breast lesions.

Breast ultrasound has previously not been routinely used for screening. However, the advances in ultrasound technology in SonoCiné are very promising. The Hill Breast Center is proud to be one of few breast center facilities that perform SonoCiné. We are dedicated to being the leader in diagnostic imaging and offering the women of our community the latest technology available to promote breast health.