An Overview of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

•Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) was developed to help aid in the detection of breast lesions within dense breast tissue.•DBT can potentially see lesions more clearly than on full-field digital mammography (FFDM).•DBT can potentially provide benefits to the patients, such as lowering the recall rates and eliminating the need for additional mammographic views.•DBT has also been shown to increase the rate of cancer detection with lesions that possibly would not have been seen if FFDM was used alone.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has reported that breast cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Mammography is considered the gold standard for detecting breast cancer and the only proven screening tool to reduce mortality. When the breast tissue is dense, it may lower breast cancer detection with mammography. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) was developed to aid in the detection of lesions in dense breast tissue. DBT has the ability to partially remove tissues that are above and below the plane of the lesion. Thus, offering improved visualization and characterization of abnormalities that are seen within the breast and evaluation of dense breast tissue. Imaging and diagnosis of breast cancer is very complex. This article will help radiology nurses understand the role of DBT in increasing diagnostic accuracy. Full-field digital mammography and DBT will be compared. The radiology nurse who is knowledgeable in breast disease evaluation and the technology available will be well prepared to assist patients with understanding the diagnosis of their disease.