Baptist Women’s Health Center Now Offering Automated Breast Ultrasound Technology

The Baptist Women’s Health Center is now the first and only breast center in the Memphis area to offer access to the Invenia Automated Breast Ultrasound, or ABUS. Thanks to a Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation grant, this FDA-approved screening technology can better screen women with dense breast tissue.

Almost 40 percent of women have dense breasts, which means they have more glandular tissue than fat. Dense breasts are more likely to hide lumps or masses when screened with a standard mammogram. Additionally, women with dense breasts are four to six times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who do not have dense breasts.

The ABUS uses sonic waves to create a 3D photo of the breasts. This is much different from a screening mammogram, which uses radiation to look for abnormalities. While ABUS does not replace traditional mammography, it can be used in conjunction with it to better diagnose breast cancer in women with dense breasts. The exam takes just 30 minutes and gives doctors clear 3D images that they review in addition to the mammogram results.

If you have dense breasts, you can come into Baptist Women’s Health Center for your standard mammogram and then speak with your doctor about which screening options are right for you. We recommend that women should receive a baseline mammogram beginning at age 40 and continue with annual screenings after that. If you are at a higher risk of breast cancer, speak with your doctor about when you should begin getting annual mammograms.

Find out more about the ABUS technology and breast density here.