A Conversation with a Mammography Technologist about MammoPad

After 10 years as a technologist, I've seen my responsibilities change enormously. With all the technical advances and increased regulations, I now have more to do than ever. When I learned that my facility was introducing MammoPad^® - a soft, warm, single-use foam cushion cleared by the FDA - my first reaction was "Great, just what I need. More to do."

Then I learned that MammoPad not only provides patient comfort but also will assist in positioning my patients. The MammoPad relaxes most women ensuring more compression of the breast. With benefits like these, I had to learn more.

Optimized Positioning means Better Imaging

Like many technologists, I understand that MammoPad makes mammography more comfortable, but I had a few questions about positioning and imaging with the breast cushion.

"Will MammoPad prevent me from accessing the chest wall?"

I was surprised to learn that MammoPad actually made it easier to access the chest wall. When patient's ribs are cushioned by MammoPad, they have no trouble leaning in for compression. And because MammoPad feels warm against the chest, the muscles are more likely to relax, which means more tissue acquisition.

"How is it possible that MammoPad makes positioning easier?"

I noticed that MammoPad's surface has a soft, grip-like effect which helps immobilize the breast. This reduces the small amount of retraction of the UOQ or the IMF while compressing.

"Will MammoPad make it more difficult to image the inframammary fold?"

One thing's for sure, MammoPad takes the pressure off a patient's ribs and muscles. That's why patients are able to hold still and not pull away, making it easier to image the IMF.

"Will I need to worry about achieving sufficient compression?"

In clinical studies, women were able to tolerate more compression when MammoPad was used.

"Will MammoPad affect the overall quality of my images?"

Leading physicists have extensively tested MammoPad on both analog and digital equipment, proving it has no adverse effect on image quality or dosage.