Ecografie — Sân și axilă (MCB)

BREAST & AXILLA PROTOCOL

PURPOSE:

 To evaluate patients with indeterminate findings on other imaging modalities and symptomatic patients.

INDICATIONS:

 Indeterminate breast findings on other imaging modalities and patients with breast symptoms.

EQUIPMENT:

 10-18 MHz linear probe

PATIENT PREPARATION & ASSESSMENT:

 Introduce yourself to the patient.
 Verify patient identity via two patient identifiers (name and date of birth) per hospital policy.  Explain the examination, its purpose and how long it will take.  Answer any questions the patient may have regarding the examination.  Obtain patient history including symptoms, signs, risk factors and other relevant history.

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

 Optimize equipment gain and display settings with respect to depth, dynamic range and focal zones while imaging vessels.  Add color Doppler to supplement grayscale images with proper color scale to demonstrate areas of high flow and color aliasing.  Set spectral Doppler gains to allow a spectral window and optimized to reduce artifacts.  Cursor sample size will be small and positioned parallel to the vessel wall and/or direction of blood flow.  A spectral Doppler angle of 45-60 degrees or less will be used to measure velocities. Note exceptions to these angles on the technologist worksheet.  Send the measurements screenshot page if your machine is capable.  Any deviations from the standard protocol and any limitations to the examination should be documented on the technologist worksheet for future reference and for repeatability in follow-up studies.  Report preliminary critical findings to the referring clinician when appropriate (i.e. immediate medical attention may be warranted) and according to hospital policy.  Whole breast screening US (handheld or automated) is not performed at any St Vincents or Optimal Imaging facility.

DOCUMENTATION:

Focal Breast or Axillary Finding  The breast clock and centimeter from the nipple location or axilla location must be annotated on all images.  Document radial and antiradial grayscale images of the finding without and with measurement calibers.

Breast & Axilla Protocol – Last Updated 8/19/2026 - Page 1 of 2

 Document radial and/or antiradial color Doppler images of the finding with spectral and/or power Doppler imaging obtained as needed.  Document cine grayscale images as needed or if requested by the supervising radiologist.

No Correlate US Finding  The breast clock and centimeter from the nipple location or axilla location must be annotated on all images.  Document radial and antiradial grayscale images of the area of interest to demonstrate that no correlate finding is present.  Document radial and/or antiradial color Doppler images the area of interest as needed of to demonstrate that no correlate finding is present.  Document cine grayscale images of the area of interest as needed or if requested by the supervising radiologist.

Multiple Benign Simple Cysts  In the presence of multiple simple cysts, imaging documentation is only required for a cyst correlating with a finding on another imaging modality, a palpable/symptomatic cyst or representative cysts from each location or quadrant (if more than one location or quadrant is imaged).

Breast & Axilla Protocol – Last Updated 8/19/2026 - Page 2 of 2