CTLM as an adjunct to mammography in the diagnosis of patients with dense breast

PurposeThe purpose was to evaluate the utility of computed tomographic laser mammography (CTLM) as an adjunct examination to mammography in women with dense breast tissue.MethodsWe retrospectively compared the findings of mammography, CTLM, and adjunct CTLM to mammography with pathology of 155 women scheduled for biopsy or surgery.ResultsPositive lesions were observed more significantly in malignant than benign lesions. The sensitivity of mammography vs. mammography+CTLM was 34.4% vs. 81.57% among extremely dense breasts and 68.29% vs. 95.34% among heterogeneously dense breasts.ConclusionCTLM could distinguish benign lesions from malignant lesions and is not affected by breast density.