Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Breast Ultrasonography as an Adjunct to Mammographic Screening in High-Risk Patients

Screening mammography remains the standard of care for breast cancer screening of the general population and is likely to remain so in the foreseeable future. We discuss the current role of breast ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in screening for breast cancer in the high-risk population. Breast ultrasound finds small cancers not seen on mammography particularly in women with dense breasts. Breast MRI has sensitivity significantly higher than that of mammography, breast ultrasound, or a combination of mammography and breast ultrasound.