Breast Ultrasound

[dum]

Hi all. I wonder how long is a breast ultrasound procedure supposed to take?  I've read that it usually should take 20-30 minutes, but when I had it (because of very lumpy breasts), the technician started not with ultrasound, but by talking to me for some 10 minutes persuading me that I should have a mammogram instead of an ultrasound, then continued talking throughout the whole process.  The actual procedure took no more than 3 minutes, and was done very roughly.  When she was in the middle of the procedure, someone knocked on the door (for something trivial), so she finished at that point, saved it on computer, and that's it. No abnormalities detected except a tiny cyst.  I wish no one knocked on the door. I wish I had not let her know that I haven't done mammo yet.

Should ultrasound detect something in breasts that feel very lumpy? (she said that tiny cyst couldn't be felt by hand)

Thanks for the great forums and for any response!

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear dum:  Ultrasounds are best used for differentiating between solid and cystic (fluid-filled) masses.  The length of time that it takes is usually not very long but varies depending on what is being evaluated and what is discovered.  If all the tissue looks very normal, it would probably take less time than if abnormalities were identified.  Mammograms are used as a screening tool for women 40 and over and sometimes to evaluate lumps in younger women - although it is not as useful in young women due to the tissue density.  It is not uncommon for breast tissue to feel very lumpy, particularly in younger women.  This does make self-examination more difficult so familiarity is key.  

[dum]

Thanks for your comments!

[japdip]

I won't attempt to answer your questions ..... lets leave that to the professionals of this forum, but I would certainly inform your physician (the Dr. who ordered the Ultrasound) about the technician's performance and your concerns regarding this.