Why have a Breast MRI?

Because of MRI’s sensitivity to changes in soft tissue, Breast MRI offers numerous advantages as an additional tool for diagnosing breast cancer. It is of particular value for examining abnormalities that first have been detected by mammography. The technique also plays a significant role when it comes to visualizing breast implants or examining your breast tissue. It is excellent in differentiating tissue and enabling the detection of small abnormalities that can be missed with other examinations.

What are the advantages of Breast MRI?

  •  MRI is the most sensitive method for diagnosing breast cancer.
  •  Not only can it show if an implant is leaking or ruptured, but it can also image tissue that is compressed by an implant.
  •  X-ray used for mammography cannot penetrate silicone well enough to image the overlying or underlying breast tissue, and thus, abnormalities may be difficult to see.
  •  MRI, in contrast, is able to detect abnormalities despite the presence of an implant.
  •  Young women tend to have dense breast tissue, for which MRI is more appropriate than X-ray mammography.
  •  MRI may be an appropriate screening tool for young women who have a high risk of breast cancer.
  •  Because of its high accuracy in tissue differentiation, MRI is also becoming more and more important for staging breast cancer, which is integral to determining the most appropriate treatment.

Is Breast MRI right for you?

Close consultation with your GP and Specialist will assess the need for you to have MRI of your breasts. MRI does not use ionising radiation, and is very sensitive to soft tissue change, thus it can be a useful tool in diagnosing and staging breast disease and accurately tailoring treatment plans.

Locations where we offer this procedure (3T MRI):

Sunshine Coast Radiology, Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital, 3 Doherty Street, Birtinya, QLD 4557.