乳房檢查：乳房超音波的角色

Breast Examination: the Role of Ultrasound

乳癌目前為台灣女性發生率第一的惡性腫瘤，乳癌篩檢因此愈發重要。X 光攝影是目前篩檢主要的影像學檢查，但對乳房較緻密的婦女敏感度較差。超音波在緻密的乳房組織準確度較不受影響，在乳房攝影為陰性但乳房組織較緻密的女性能夠當作追加性篩檢工具。目前超音波新興技術如全自動技術可減少操作者間誤差及執行時花費的時間，使超音波做為輔助性篩檢工具更為合適，可以期待未來能運用在更多的婦女族群。

Breast cancer is the leading malignancy among Taiwanese women, highlighting the importance of breast cancer screening. Although mammography is the mainstay imaging test for breast cancer screening worldwide, its sensitivity among women with dense breasts is less promising. The accuracy of breast ultrasound is less affected by breast tissue density and therefore it can be used as a supplementary screening tool in populations with dense breasts and negative mammographic results. New breast sonographic technologies such as automated ultrasound technique minimize inter-observer variation and decrease execution time and make breast ultrasound a more suitable supplementary screening tool. A wider use of ultrasound in a greater population of women is expectable in the future.