Researchers Say Device Could Reduce Mammography Discomfort

monkeybusinessimages/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers say that a newer, less painful mammogram may be possible.

According to a study presented at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, researchers believe that the improved process can exert pressure throughout the breast tissue, avoiding direct force applied to the breast.

Researchers tested the proposed procedure on over 400 women. Of those participants, 27 percent said they experienced less severe pain, compared to the current standard protocol.

Researchers say the images produced by the mammography were not inferior to the old technique, and could be implemented in many hospitals or doctors’ offices quickly using a simple device.

The proposed mammography method did have at least one drawback, however. Researchers found that the pressure-based test had three times the number of people forced to re-do the test when compared to the force-based test.

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