Scintimammography
Encyclopedia
Scintimammography is a type of breast
imaging test that is used to detect cancer cells in the breasts of some women who have had abnormal mammograms, or who have dense breast tissue, but is not used for screening
or in place of a mammogram. In this test, a woman
receives an injection
of a small amount of a radioactive substance called technetium
99 sestamibi, which is taken up by cancer cells, and a gamma camera
is used to take pictures of the breasts.
Also called a Miraluma test (when with sestamibi) and sestamibi
breast imaging.
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
imaging test that is used to detect cancer cells in the breasts of some women who have had abnormal mammograms, or who have dense breast tissue, but is not used for screening
Breast cancer screening
Breast cancer screening refers to the medical screening of asymptomatic, apparently healthy women for breast cancer in an attempt to achieve an earlier diagnosis. The assumption is that early detection will improve outcomes...
or in place of a mammogram. In this test, a woman
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
receives an injection
Injection (medicine)
An injection is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body...
of a small amount of a radioactive substance called technetium
Technetium
Technetium is the chemical element with atomic number 43 and symbol Tc. It is the lowest atomic number element without any stable isotopes; every form of it is radioactive. Nearly all technetium is produced synthetically and only minute amounts are found in nature...
99 sestamibi, which is taken up by cancer cells, and a gamma camera
Gamma camera
A gamma camera, also called a scintillation camera or Anger camera, is a device used to image gamma radiation emitting radioisotopes, a technique known as scintigraphy...
is used to take pictures of the breasts.
Also called a Miraluma test (when with sestamibi) and sestamibi
Sestamibi
Technetium sestamibi is a pharmaceutical agent used in nuclear medicine imaging. The drug is a coordination complex of the radioisotope technetium-99m with the ligand methoxyisobutylisonitrile . The generic drug became available late September 2008...
breast imaging.
External links
- Scintimammography entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms