Breast MRI uses Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to look specifically at the breast. It is a non-invasive procedure that doctors can use to determine what the inside of the breast looks like without having to do surgery or compress the breast (as in a mammogram). Each exam produces hundreds of images of the breast, cross-sectional in all three directions (side-to-side, top-to-bottom, front-to-back), which are then read by a Radiologist. Breast MRI is an evolving technology and does not replace standard screening and diagnostic procedures such as clinical and self exams, mammogram, fine needle aspiration or biopsy.

Benefits of breast MRI:

Ability to image breast implants & ruptures
Highly sensitive to small abnormalities
Used effectively in dense breasts
Can evaluate the extent of breast cancer
Can evaluate inverted nipples for the evidence of cancer
May detect breast cancer recurrences & residual tumors after lumpectomy
Can locate primary tumor in women whose cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes
Can spot or characterize small abnormalities missed by mammography
May be useful in screening women at high risk for breast cancer, according to recent studies.

Ask your doctor if a breast MRI is right for you.