Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Previous research indicates that breast ultrasound could have value as a screening adjunct for women with dense breasts, significantly boosting the sensitivity of x-ray mammography. But could breast ultrasound screening turn out to be too much of a good thing?
It just might, according to an article by associate editor Kate Madden Yee that we're featuring in our Women's Imaging Digital Community. The story profiles a new law in Connecticut that requires women to be notified of their breast tissue density when they get a screening mammogram.
The goal is to enable women with dense breast tissue to receive screening ultrasound, which could potentially find cancers missed on mammography. But are mammography facilities ready for the additional workload required for breast ultrasound screening? Some experts aren't sure.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit the community at women.auntminnie.com.
Sigmoidoscopy success
In other news, a study published this week in the British journal Lancet showed that flexible sigmoidoscopy not only reduced the rate of colorectal cancers compared to individuals who went unscreened, it reduced cancer-specific mortality as well.
The landmark study, which followed more than 170,000 patients for 11 years, is the first to show a mortality benefit from polyp removal. Indeed, it is the first direct evidence that any colon screening exam other than the fecal occult blood test can reduce mortality.
Will virtual (and for that matter, optical) colonoscopy deliver similar results? Only time will tell, but you can read about this week's study by clicking here, or visit our Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community at vc.auntminnie.com.
Pediatric CT use falls
Finally, we're reporting this week on what appears to be a positive trend in pediatric radiology: reduced use of CT for imaging children.
U.S. researchers surveyed a number of children's hospitals and found that they've been using CT less and modalities such as MRI more over the past couple of years. The decline roughly corresponds to the launch of the Image Gently radiation awareness campaign in 2008.
The trend could be a sign that Image Gently is succeeding in its goal of educating imaging providers in the judicious use of CT. Read more by clicking here, or visit our Pediatric Imaging Digital Community at pediatric.auntminnie.com.
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
