Right Photo: TheThermographyCenter.com
Left Photo: AcupointHealth.com
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Mammography Versus Thermography What’s the Difference? by April Beaman
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hat’s the difference between mammography and thermography? Is thermography better than mammography? Does it replace mammography? There’s often confusion on this subject by thinking one replaces the other. One could say comparing these two breast screening tools are like comparing apples to oranges. Let’s dive a little deeper by first looking at the differences between the two.
Mammography
Mammography is an X-ray that utilizes ionizing radiation to image the internal structure of the breast. During a mammogram, the breasts are positioned and compressed between two plates. Two X-ray images are taken of each breast, one from the top and one from the side. A mammogram is a structural test, its purpose is to detect a change of the anatomy within the breast, such as a mass or tumor. A radiologist studies the X-ray images to look for abnormalities, specifically densities and calcifications. 12
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Thermography
Thermography is a pictorial representation of the heat emissions of breasts. Think of a thermogram as a heat map that depicts temperature variations and thermal patterns. Thermography utilizes a specialized infrared camera that does not touch or emit any radiation to the body. Because thermography does not use compression, the entire chest, including the breasts and axillary regions (armpit), are imaged. There’s a total of six images taken in a breast series with anterior, oblique, lateral and inferior views. A thermogram is a functional test; its purpose is to detect physiological activity of the breast tissue. A thermologist studies the thermal images to look for abnormalities, specifically uneven temperature variations and irregular vascular patterns.
Comparing Apples to Oranges
Because mammography is a test of structure (anatomy), it can locate a mass or a tumor that already exists within the breast. Breast thermography is a test of function (physiology). It cannot detect the exact
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location of a tumor; it detects heat and inflammation in precancerous and cancerous tissue as well as the area surrounding a tumor. Isn’t mammography a better test then if it can locate a tumor? Breast abnormalities such as tumors don’t just suddenly appear. Long before you and your doctor feel a lump, or it is discovered by a mammogram, its cellular contributors are hard at work behind the scenes. Cancer cells require a blood supply and an ever-increasing need for nutrients in order to survive and proliferate. Being aggressive, these
Thermography is a pictorial representation of the heat emissions of breasts. Think of a thermogram as a heat map that depicts temperature variations and thermal patterns.
