Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Breast

Breast MRI

Why It Is Done

An MRI of the breast is done to:

• Find breast cancer. Most often, an MRI is used to check breast lumps found during a physical examination, ultrasound, or mammography.
• Check high-risk women. MRI may be recommended as a screening tool for very high-risk women, such as those who test positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, or who have two or more close family members who have had breast or ovarian cancer before age 50.
• Check women who have dense breast tissue.
• Check the opposite breast. MRI is sometimes used to evaluate the opposite breast in women diagnosed with certain types of breast cancer.
• See what stage of breast cancer is present so the best treatment can be chosen.
• Look at breast tissue changes during treatment for breast cancer.
• Check breasts with inverted nipples for any sign of breast cancer.
• Find a breast implant rupture. MRI of the breast is the best test for this purpose.
• Look at a suspicious area of the breast for women with breast implants.

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Author:	Bets Davis, MFA	Last Updated: April 3, 2008
Medical Review:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine Kenneth B. Sutherland, CD, BSc, MD, FRCPC - Diagnostic Radiology Paul D. Traughber, MD - Radiology
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