- With Mayo Clinic internist
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
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Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, certified by the American Board of Family Practice, has been practicing medicine at Mayo Clinic since 1995 with special interests in breast diseases and women's health.
She is a consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, and the Breast Diagnostic Clinic. She is an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native stresses education and patient-related research and has been active in both areas since joining Mayo Clinic. She is the primary investigator at Mayo Clinic of several clinical trials evaluating new agents for the prevention of breast cancer and identification of biomarkers for early detection of breast cancer. Her other research and clinical interests include managing the health of women who are at increased risk of breast cancer, breast pain and hot flashes, and developing patient education decision-making tools for breast-related concerns. She is director of the Breast Diagnostic Clinic and is a member of the Women's Health Executive Committee. Dr. Pruthi has been newly elected as a member to the board of directors for the American Society of Breast Disease. She has assisted with a variety of articles for MayoClinic.com.
"Having an opportunity to share information with my patients in the way that will help them to understand and be able to make educated decisions about their own health is very important to me," she says.
"The Web has become a major information site for people, and I want them to get the best and accurate information to be able to make informed choices for themselves, their family members and friends."
Cancer (4)
- Mammogram guidelines: What's changed?
- Mammogram: Can it find cancer in dense breasts?
- Breast implants: Do they interfere with mammograms?
- see all in Cancer
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Question
Breast implants: Do they interfere with mammograms?
Can breast implants make it harder to find breast cancer during mammography?
Answer
from Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Yes. Breast implants can obscure the mammogram images, decreasing the ability of mammograms to reveal breast cancer. Still, studies show that mammograms are an effective way to screen for breast cancer in women with breast implants.
If you have breast implants, you can take steps to make your mammogram more successful, such as:
- Find a facility that sees many women with breast implants. Ask your doctor for a referral to a clinic whose radiologists have experience reading mammograms of women with breast implants. Ask the clinic about their experience when you make your appointment.
- Speak up about your breast implants at your appointment. When you make your appointment and again when you arrive at your appointment, tell the staff that you have breast implants.
There's a slight risk that your breast implants may rupture during a mammogram. But the benefits of mammography in the early detection of breast cancer outweigh this risk.
Next questionConflicting mammogram results: What should I do?
- Goodemote P, et al. What is the best way to screen for breast cancer in women with implants? The Journal of Family Practice. 2008;57:482.
- Mammograms. WomensHealth.gov. http://www.womenshealth.gov/FAQ/mammograms.cfm. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- Mammography. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForWomen/ucm118546.htm. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- Mammography. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_educations/bp076.cfm. Accessed June 9, 2009.
