Digital mammography: an update

Abstract

Digital mammography has increasingly replaced conventional film-screen mammography and has become the gold standard in combination with soft copy reading in diagnostic as well as screening settings. Large international multi-center trials were able to demonstrate at least equivalence and for some aspects superiority of digital over conventional mammography with regard to detectability of breast cancer, especially in pre/perimenopausal women, women younger than 50 years and generally in dense breasts. Especially the experienced reader may benefit form CAD with an increase of specificity. Additionally digital mammography offers options of advanced processing such as digital tomosynthesis and contrast enhanced mammography. The future of breast imaging will be fusion of different imaging systems (hybrid systems).