3D Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS)

Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology recently introduced the 3D Automated Breast Ultrasound System (3D ABUS) at its offices in Plainview and Stony Brook.   3D ABUS will complement other breast cancer screening tests - including Digital Mammography, 3D Mammography (Tomosynthesis), and Breast MRI – as part of Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology’s ongoing commitment to detecting breast cancer at the 
earliest possible stage.

3D ABUS is a new approach to performing an ultrasound (or “sonogram”) of the breasts.  During a painless examination that takes approximately 15 minutes, the 3D ABUS device acquires ultrasound images of the breasts, covering each breast in its entirety.  Instead of a small handheld probe, 3D ABUS uses a large curved panel that can typically cover all of the breast tissue in three quick sweeps.

The images are then reviewed by a radiologist on a 3-dimensional work station.  The radiologist is able to look through hundreds of images from multiple angles and see through layers of breast tissue to find cancers, which might otherwise have gone undetected.  The radiologist can compare the 3D ABUS findings to the patient’s mammogram, as well as to prior ultrasound examinations.

Why is 3D ABUS important?  Mammography is a very powerful tool for detecting breast cancer, but it is not perfect.  Approximately 40% of women have dense breasts, and mammography can miss up to 30% of cancers in dense breast tissue.  3D ABUS is not a substitute for mammography, which is still the single best screening test for breast cancer.   However, adding 3D ABUS as a screening test for patients with dense breast tissue can improve cancer detection.

Because 3D ABUS uses sound waves, there is no radiation exposure. Any patient with dense breast tissue, including those with prior breast cancer, breast surgery or implants, can benefit from 3D ABUS. 

Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology is the leading breast imaging facility on Long Island offering 17 locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties.