TECHNICAL GUIDE TO RADIOLOGICAL PROTOCOLS FOR THE DETECTION OF BREAST PATHOLOGIES

Abstract

Dedicated to all students and professionals in Radiology and Imaging of the University of El Salvador, may this document be useful in professional practice and thus move together towards a future that allows the timely detection of breast pathologies. The existence of breast pathologies, and the importance of exploring their nature, has transcended over the years the need for early detection of breast cancer. The diagnosis to determine the existence of breast cancer has changed radically. Specialized studies in morphology and structure of the breast have given rise to mammography, a study that today remains an effective method for early detection of breast cancer. In the country, hospitals that perform mammographic studies have introduced new technologies for breast diagnosis, which is why among the most recent advances is the entry of digital mammography with the ability to perform various procedures such as tomosynthesis, mammography-guided biopsies, among others. This technical guide is the result of the research of the graduate seminar; work focused on mammography that proposes effective radiological protocols in the detection of mammary pathologies, taking as a reference point those mammographic studies and procedures that are currently performed at the Hospital Materno Infantil Primero de Mayo of the Instituto Salvadoreño del Seguro Social (Salvadoran Social Security Institute). The technical guide contains protocols and projections, which are performed in the mammography area for the diagnosis of breast pathologies with their respective radiological criticism. The protocols are divided into routine projections and additional projections, also, specialized mammographic studies and procedures are described with their respective particularities, including the types of biopsies and the description of steps to follow to perform the study or procedure from the participation of the radiology professional. It also describes the radiological terminology, professional ethics, radiological protection and the most frequent pathologies of the mammary glands, in order to strengthen all the basic aspects necessary for a good diagnosis in the area of mammography.